Choosing Pace With Intention

Debbie Fennell on February 4, 2026

Leadership is often measured by how quickly we respond. We celebrate leaders based on our perception of productivity measures. How we decide and how fast. How much we can carry. Yet some of the most meaningful leadership moments happen away from urgency, in the quiet choices about how we show up for others and for ourselves. 

When speed becomes the norm everywhere, leaders desperately try to keep pace. Relationships thin, and listening turns into tolerance. Decisions happen faster, but not always better. Over time, this pace follows leaders home, shaping how present they are with family, friends, and even themselves. Guilt creeps in alongside the thought, “You should be working. You have so much to do.”

Leadership beyond the boardroom asks a different question. Not how fast can I move, but what pace allows me to lead well and live well.

Learning into Action:
Where might slowing down, even briefly, strengthen your leadership, your relationships, and your ability to lead with purpose in the year ahead? When might you pause rather than give an immediate response?

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The Leadership You Lived in 2025

Debbie Fennell on January 8, 2026

Leadership in 2025 was defined by complexity and constant change, yet leaders everywhere showed remarkable adaptability and resilience.

Growth happened in quiet moments as much as in bold decisions. It happened when you listened more closely, recommitted to firmer boundaries, invited deeper dialogue, or chose patience instead of urgency. It happened when you chose curiosity over certainty. It happened when you aligned your actions with your values and showed your team what consistency looks like in real time.

As you look back over the past year, consider the moments that strengthened your leadership identity.

  • Maybe there was an awareness as a result of a Tbird teaming session you attended.
  • Maybe you built trust in a new way.
  • Maybe you led through conflict with more commitment and composure.
  • Maybe you invested in your team’s development or your own.

Growth rarely arrives in grand gestures. More often, it shows up in small, steady shifts that accumulate over time.Your opportunity for 2026 is to build intentionally on the strengths you discovered this year. Carry forward what made you better and release what no longer serves your leadership.

Call to Action

1. Where did you show the most leadership growth this year? Celebrate and share it with us (reply to this email).
2. How will you build on that momentum?
3. What will you release that is no longer serving you?