Remember That Time I Went to Japan and Forgot My Umbrella?

I mean, just look at this image.

Moody lighting. Rain-soaked shirt. Stoic stare into the neon-lit void.
If you didn’t know me, you might guess I was in a cyberpunk thriller.

You’d never guess I spent this morning coaching a design lead through a tough team conversation - or helping a founder reshape their pitch deck.

Because here’s the thing about leadership:
Looking cool means nothing if you can’t lead with care.

The best leaders I’ve worked with - from global execs to scrappy founders - share the same quality:
They make it feel human.
They show up with presence.
They ask questions that matter.
They create space for others to shine.

And they know that clarity, kindness and consistency beat bravado every time.

Sure, I’ll have fun with an AI-generated portrait now and then.
But the work I care about?
It happens in the quiet moments.
The difficult ones.

The moments where someone needs to feel seen, not impressed.
That’s what human-to-human leadership looks like.
It’s not perfect.
It’s not posturing.
It’s practiced care - over and over again.

So, I encourage you to sit with this article this weekend.
Really sit with it.
And then, next week, whatever you end up facing - maybe start there.

Oh - and no, I haven’t been to Japan. Yet.
(But I’m very open to invites from founders needing Fractional CCO support.)
This image was a bit of AI play - and just too good not to use.

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