There’s a fine line between stepping back and falling apart. Between choosing to disconnect and unraveling completely. Between reclaiming control and losing your grip. The difference? Intent. We live in a world that mistakes noise for progress. If you’re not answering emails at midnight, are … [Read more...]
The Certain Uncertainty of Reinventing Oneself
Reinvention isn’t a decision you make one morning over coffee. It’s not a clean break or a sudden transformation. It’s messier than that - more like stumbling forward in the dark, feeling your way toward something that hasn’t fully taken shape yet. You don’t always know what you’re becoming, … [Read more...]
Build Options Before You Need Them
You don’t buy an umbrella when it starts raining. You get one on a sunny day, not because you expect a storm, but because you know storms come. And yet, when it comes to our careers, our well-being, and our personal growth, too many of us move through life as if clear skies are permanent. We … [Read more...]
Organizations Don’t Fail You – People Do
When layoffs happen, when a toxic work culture festers, when promises are broken, we default to blaming “the organization.” It’s the company that made the cuts, the institution that failed, the brand that let us down. But organizations are just shells - legal entities, mission statements, and … [Read more...]
Leadership Isn’t a Promotion – It’s a Reckoning
Most people think they’re ready to lead long before they actually are. It’s a misconception I’ve seen time and time again - high performers who assume leadership is just the next step, the natural reward for excelling at their job. But leadership isn’t a prize; it’s a responsibility. It doesn’t … [Read more...]
The Illusion of Freedom: Why Entrepreneurship Isn’t an Escape
There’s a common misconception about entrepreneurship that refuses to die: the idea that starting your own business is a way to escape authority, to finally break free from the suffocating grip of a boss. It’s an appealing fantasy - one where you call the shots, answer to no one, and shape your … [Read more...]
The Friction That Sharpens Us
Disagreement is not failure. It is not a problem to be solved, nor a threat to be neutralized. It is, at its best, an invitation - one that challenges our assumptions, forces us to articulate our reasoning, and stretches the limits of what we know. The discomfort of disagreement is not a signal … [Read more...]
The Hidden Door in Every Conflict
We assume too much about other people. We assume their intent, their rigidity, their unwillingness to listen. We assume they have already made up their minds, that they are uninterested in a real conversation, that they won’t hear us no matter how well we articulate our point. But what if they … [Read more...]
Leading from the Flanks: The Art of Presence Without Overshadowing
Leadership is often framed as being out in front - setting direction, taking charge, and pulling people along. But true leadership, the kind that endures and transforms, is just as much about standing to the side, watching, anticipating, and stepping in precisely when needed. Strengths and … [Read more...]
The Talent You Can’t Replace
Some people impress. Others transform. And then there are those who inspire. Over the years, I’ve worked alongside incredible colleagues, mentors, and partners - people whose impact isn’t just measured by their output but by the way they change the very nature of how work gets done. At OCF, I see … [Read more...]