The Friday Five - Leadership Edition

The Friday Five - Issue 13
Helping leaders maximize their potential
Terry Wetzel ~ Summit Leadership Development

After a powerful January kick-off, this live online seminar is back for February. If 2026 is the year you want real traction - not just intentions - this is your invitation. Don’t miss your chance to unlock a new level of professional success.

A to-do list that never meets a calendar is far less likely to be effective. If you want to actually check things off your list, you have to move beyond the list itself and assign tasks a specific, non-negotiable time on your calendar. Doing this forces clarity and reduces the anxiety of an endless list.

We operate within a complex equation of "variables"—some we author, and others we simply inherit. The shift happens when we stop trying to solve for the uncontrollable things — the economy, the weather, other people’s opinions, or luck—and start optimizing the constants within our own reach. When you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself: "Is this a variable I can influence, or a constraint I must work around?" Focusing on the former builds momentum; focusing on the latter builds anxiety.

At a seminar I hosted recently we talked about people we admire and more importantly, why we admire them. What traits, attributes, and behaviors do they possess that makes us admire them? Take some time to think about people you admire and drill down into why you admire them. How can you mimic them and embody the traits you admire?

Managing star performers is often a balancing act. Because they are usually self-motivated and high-achieving, many managers fall into the trap of "ignoring" them to focus on underperformers. In addition, your stars are often the ones everyone else goes to for help. Managers should act as a shield to ensure they aren't bogged down by questions or other people's avoidable crises.

What is the absolute worst and most stress producing part of your job? Are you able to clearly identify this? A leader who is constantly drained is a leader who has lost the ability to be proactive. If you don't plug your own energy leaks, your team suffers. If you are operating at 50% battery, you cannot project the excellence required to inspire others. Can you delegate it, automate it, or eliminate it? If it is an ongoing personnel issue, are you avoiding addressing it?

“The most effective communicators pause before they speak and ask themselves: Why am I opening my mouth?”—Charles Duhigg

I received (and finished) this book very recently and highly recommend it. While not a leadership book per se, it does an amazing job of exploring change in our lives and how we can navigate things more effectively. From the Amazon description, “What if we saw moments of upheaval as an opportunity to reimagine who we can be, rather than as something to just endure? What potential could we unlock within ourselves?”

Be epic, not average. The world has enough average.
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