"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." — Lao Tzu
(Even When It's Slow) 
Ever walk into a meeting ready with an agenda, only to watch the room steer you elsewhere?
You can fight the swerve. You can follow it. Grounded leaders will follow. They keep one eye on the destination and let the route change underneath them.
I judge that the move is harder when productivity is a key measure.
Let me just put a bow on this...
At times, I’ve built my whole persona around the speed of problem-solving. The faster I get a bow on the box, the more I feel good about myself. That OCD-ADD-caffeine-fueled workaholic drive has led to some success and exhaustion.
When I’m spent, I turn to nature for wisdom. The seeds go in the ground. Nothing visible happens for what seems like forever.
My instinct is to dig it up and see if it has taken root. Nothing says productivity like a hand in the dirt!
Half the time, the root is forming. The other half, the seed is bruised back to zero by my inspection.
The same instinct shows up on my project list. The conversation that needs a beat of silence. The request that needs another night to settle. The new teammate who needs three weeks to come into their stride.
A part of my brain hears "still emerging" and reaches for a shovel.
My World Right Now
My book is in that exact moment. Written. Edited. Picked up by Morgan James Publishing in New York. Revised. Produced. Now moving towards a launch for October 2026.
Full disclosure, I never knew how complex it is to publish a book. Cover decisions take months. Endorsements travel slowly. Distribution conversations are a game of three-dimensional chess. Preorders mean more than I ever realized.
My urge is to push. Send the follow-up email. Suggest the workaround. Offer the helpful nudge that is not actually helpful.
Game Changing Reframe
Ever heard of the “Incubation effect”? Stepping away from a complex problem produces measurably better solutions, especially for the divergent thinking that leadership demands.
The mind keeps solving in the background, often more effectively than under direct pressure.
Analytical and technical professionals feel this stretch acutely. The work builds expectations around rapid output. My book exists to help these leaders stay in the garden while a new communication skill is still ‘emerging.’
What works for you when the process asks you to slow down?
Many leaders push harder. Some step away in frustration. There is a third move that produces better outcomes. It is quieter, and it requires only two questions.
Try This:
When a project feels like it has stalled, sit for five minutes and answer:
- What broader life lesson is this teaching me?
- What does this moment need that I'm not giving?
The first question turns frustration into data. The second turns the stall into direction. Both pull you out of force-mode and into a relationship with the work itself.
Most stalls resolve faster after stepping back than they would under another hour of pressure.
Run it once this week on your most stuck project. Notice what shifts.
Bulbs do their work in the dark.
So does a book moving towards launch.
So does the project that has been sitting heavy on your desk.
Communication strategies to help you lead through uncertainty
@ClearandCompelling #ClearandCompelling