This Week in Leadership
The Friday Five - Issue 23
Challenging leaders to maximize their potential
Terry Wetzel ~ Summit Leadership Development
Q2 Recommit
Spring and the second quarter of 2026 are upon us. This is a great time to review your personal and professional goals, recommit to them, make adjustments, and add or delete as necessary. Make sure that the drive for professional growth doesn't come at the expense of personal goals. We are at our best professionally when we are at our best personally. And remember, life favors bold decisions…
People Follow Energy, Not Strategy
A brilliant strategic plan is a static document; in and of itself, it lacks the ability required to inspire people. The most effective leaders understand that energy and strategy must eventually hold hands and form a healthy relationship. By using clear, positive, and consistent energy to ignite engagement, you can leverage strategy to channel that momentum into results. In the end, strategy will win the board meeting, but the right energy wins the culture.
Micro-Onboarding
Onboarding a new employee? Slow down. The first few hours and days shape their perceptions for many months to come. Micro-onboarding transforms the usual overwhelming firehose approach into a series of small, high-impact learning moments delivered as they are needed. This phased approach builds confidence and social integration, ensuring the initial spark of joining a new team is sustained through a longer timeframe.
Rewarding Top Performers
How do you reward top performers outside of a salary increase when this is not possible? Make sure you are considering things like professional development, adequate recognition both public and private, job flexibility, lunch with senior leadership, a small personalized gift, mentorship opportunities, and wide range of other things. In the end, the human need to feel valued, challenged, and trusted is a sincere and powerful form of recognition when done correctly.
Coach, Don't Just Direct
When you direct, you solve the problem for today; when you coach, you build a problem-solver for the future. Instead of defaulting to "Here is how to do it," try a question like, "What’s the biggest hurdle you see in this approach?" This moves the work of thinking/solving from your shoulders to theirs. Resist the urge to jump in with a solution.
Quote of the Week
"If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed” - - William McRaven
Book of the Week
I read Make Your Bed years ago and it recently came back into my orbit. It is a simple book containing reminders that “little things” do matter. It is filled with practical lessons that apply to everyone regardless of age or profession. I especially liked the message of persevering through the inevitable hard times large and small that life throws at us.
That’s it for this week
Be epic, not average. The world has enough average.
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The photo in today’s web edition was taken at Kohler-Andrae State Park in WI.
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