Her questions are different by design because they invite an actual answer. Some might say Dianne’s approach is just a warmer way to start a conversation, but the longer I've gotten to know her, the more I've come to believe it's something bigger.

In times like these, with all their distraction and division, asking a real question and sticking around for the real answer is a radical act of communication.

In my office hangs a framed quote from the writer and activist Audre Lorde: "It's not our differences that divide us. It's our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences."
 
I put that quote on my wall years ago and read it daily. First spoken in September 1979 while Lorde was at a conference in New York, the words remain relevant and thought-provoking for me today.
 
Our differences don't divide us.
Or do they?

You don't build a conscious culture by announcing it. You build it by living it, in the small moments, until the standard becomes contagious. Win, lose, or draw, we can all choose to leave it better than we found it.

If you're in a season where progress feels slower than you'd hoped, I want to offer you this: there are many ways to measure growth, and even more ways to make an impact. Progress is not always obvious, and it is not always off the charts.
But it is always possible.

Nearly 20 years ago, early into owning my first company, a young employee on my team began struggling. We noticed it first through missed deadlines, followed by increased difficulty connecting with colleagues. There was a visible discomfort she wasn't ready to name, but others were picking up on.

So, what if we made listening, not talking, our greatest act of leadership? When we choose to listen, we will also choose to quiet the noise. And that one simple act can begin to bridge divides, repair harm, and re-humanize the spaces we share.

We can choose to be lost in the work, or we can choose to find meaning right where we are—even in the chaos—and let that meaning guide us forward. So today, I’ll choose to get lost in something that matters. Something small, hopeful, forward-looking. And I hope you can too.

The opportunity before us is not to be superhuman, but to be that super kind of leader, manager, or peer who says through your actions: You belong here. And you don’t have to choose between being who you are and being who we need you to be.

This is the often-unsung terrain of leadership. Wins and recognition matter, but what endures is how we support the success of others, share knowledge, and offer grace under pressure. Leadership isn't the work that earns applause—it's what we do quietly, when no one is watching.

When we learn to redeem the free spaces in our days, wherever we can find them—be it a brief walk during a busy day, 10 minutes of meditation between meetings, or an hour of quiet unstructured time—we learn to regain control of our days, our decisions, and our actions. Free space can bring us back.

If you're feeling a bit lost or overwhelmed by it all today, counter that feeling with some small acts of appreciation. Not only will you brighten someone's day, but you may also feel the glow of the gesture for days to come.

I know the feeling of wanting more from a colleague—and the feeling of personally underdelivering. Even when I’ve given something my all, sometimes the results are less than I hoped. Those moments can be defeating, and they can knock us off course. If they happen too often, they’re a certain recipe for job transition. So, I’ve come to navigate these requests differently in recent years.

This week's column is as much a call for you as it is for me. We can all benefit from a little more time together. We can all benefit from less phone time and more face time. (And no, the app on your phone does not count.) Because leadership, after all, is best practiced in the present.

Statistically speaking, most people touch their phone screens significantly more times per day than they will reach out and touch each other. We feel for our phones first thing in the morning; just as they are often the last touch before our heads hit the pillow.  

There are no shortage of issues working to pull us apart. Consider where you can get closer to people experiencing and impacted by those issues and see what it does for you as a result.

Don’t let your present-day become ordinary. Be present in the present and sensitive with your time. Like a photo, there’s something worth capturing right here and now. 

Don't underestimate what is possible when you let your head and heart align. You may just find your greatest sense of purpose.

Progress can feel hard and, on some days, downright impossible. But progress is always possible, and it can be joyful. Do what you can do, day after day, to stay committed to learning and growing toward a better world of tomorrow.

Wherever you are in life, and whatever new chapter you may be entering, may there be wonderful possibilities ahead for you.

Just as in gardening, delivering hard messages can be made more effective with preparation and care. Practice planting seeds to help your audience process information and support them in understanding important news. With time and attention, your audiences will hear just what you need them to, and they’ll grow through the news, too.