Sole in the Soil

There’s a certain kind of conversation that, on the surface, sounds like a compliment. It usually starts with trust. “You’re the right person for this.” “We believe in you.” “We know you’ll figure it out.” And if you’ve spent any amount of time trying to grow in your career, that kind of language lands well. It feels like progress. Like responsibility is expanding because someone sees something in you. So you say yes. You take it on. You go all-in. You start thinking about wh

Last time, we explored how growth stretches us forward, grit carries us through, and grounding keeps us steady . But even grounded leaders can drift if they lose sight of mission. Mission gives direction. Without it, grit becomes aimless effort, and growth can chase the wrong horizon. Jim Collins wrote in Good to Great , “Good is the enemy of great.” Most derailments don’t come from bad decisions. They come from good opportunities that are not the right ones. That is mission

Coming off the PGA Show, I explored how r esilience and renewal sustain us until reward comes in due season . But growth demands more than endurance. It requires change. The habits and strategies that carried us this far may not be the ones that will carry us forward. Marshall Goldsmith once wrote: “What got you here won’t get you there.” It’s a phrase that stings because it’s true. The very strengths that earned today’s opportunities can become tomorrow’s ceiling if we cling

Last time, we considered how balance, boundaries, and being protect what matters most in ordinary seasons. But when life presses us beyond ordinary, when pressures pile up gradually and then break suddenly, we discover our need for resilience. Ernest Hemingway captured that pattern in The Sun Also Rises . One character asks, “How did you go bankrupt?” The answer: “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” It’s not just about money. Careers shift this way. Burnout creeps in this w

In my last article, we explored the alignment of calling and career, and how that convergence produces contentment . But once we discover that peace, the challenge becomes keeping it. Balance and boundaries are what protect calling from being crowded out. Without them, contentment evaporates into exhaustion. This time of year, the world is buzzing with resolutions. New diets, new routines, new checklists. But if we’re honest, those commitments often pile on more activity with