Have you ever tried to staunch a gushing wound with a Dora the Explorer Band-Aid (metaphorically speaking, of course)?
A few years ago, I had a client who was completely overwhelmed. (Ok, let’s be real. I’ve had many clients who have been completely overwhelmed. Welcome to modern leadership.)
Back to this one client, we’ll call Anne. Her schedule was untenable. No amount of burning the midnight oil was going to get her caught up. Her team was underresourced in critical areas and overresourced in others that were less helpful to the core work product.
And, as a member of the “sandwich generation,” she was navigating major health issues not only for herself, but also a parent and a child.
So she did what any high-functioning, self-respecting Type A personality does. Doubled down and worked harder. She just kept saying to herself, “I’ll figure it out.”
You’ve likely heard the saying, “Hope is not a strategy.” Well, “Figuring it out” is also not a strategy. At least not a good one if you don’t want to end up completely burned out.
Anne’s challenge, like so many others, is that exhaustion, overwhelm, overworking, overthinking, and overreaching are symptoms, not the actual problem.
So, no matter how many quick-fix solutions she tried (new planner, better time blocking, improved delegation strategies…), nothing really moved the needle.
It’s like grabbing a squirt gun when the house is on fire.
It doesn’t work because the issue isn’t a logistical one. It’s internal. And while external fixes might offer temporary relief, they’re typically not sustainable.
As a society, we’ve become really good at problem-solving. In fact, we’ve become so conditioned to look outside of ourselves for approval, answers, and solutions that we overlook the obvious strategies that are right in front of us and well within our control.
For instance, maybe…
- You’re saying yes when you mean no
- You’re doing things that don’t align with your values
- You’re making certain decisions just to avoid conflict
- You’re prioritizing everyone else’s needs over your own
These are not scheduling or performance management issues. They’re signals that something is misaligned.
Here’s where Leadership Fluency comes in. You need a personal foundation to support you when the 💩 hits the 🪭.
What does your infrastructure look like?
- Identity – what is your leadership brand? Are you living it?
- Values – what do you stand for? How do you honor them?
- Connection – who’s in your corner? Are you leaning on them?
- Wellbeing – how “fit for duty” are you mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially?
- Mindset – are you intentionally choosing your attitude and perspective (yes, even when it doesn’t feel like a choice)?
Any of these areas can support you when things feel unmanageable.
Your body, brain, and bandwidth can’t sustain long-term success if the core of your leadership is built on a faulty or cracked foundation.
You don’t need another tool or hack. So before you solve for the next problem, pause and ask yourself: Where am I misaligned?
You might be surprised what clears up once you stop chasing smoke.
