There’s a simple ritual I practiced nearly every day during the years I ran Instrument. It wasn’t strategic planning or a productivity hack. It wasn’t found in any management book. It was quiet, unglamorous, and invisible to nearly everyone around me.
Every morning, before I crossed the threshold into our office, I paused.
I checked in with myself—honestly, deliberately. I asked a single question: Do I have the energy to lead today? Not just the energy to work. Not just to attend meetings or reply to emails. But the energy to really lead. To be present, to be generous, to bring vision, clarity, and momentum to the team. To be someone others could rely on, learn from, and follow with confidence.
If the answer was yes, I walked in. If the answer was no, I didn’t. I took a walk.
Sometimes it was just around the block—ten quiet minutes to collect myself. Other days, I walked farther, allowing my mind and body to reset. I used the time to remember why I was there. What I was building. The people depending on me. I thought about my parents. My grandparents. The sacrifices that built the foundation I now stood on. I thought about the Marine brothers I had served alongside, who had modeled what it meant to show up when it mattered most.
And on rare days—when the weight was too heavy or the clarity too dim—I got in my car and went home. Not out of laziness. Not because I didn’t care. But because I cared so much. If I couldn’t bring my best self—if I couldn’t offer energy, focus, and conviction—then maybe I shouldn’t be there that day. My team deserved more than my presence. They deserved my presence of mind.
This may sound like a luxury. But I believe it’s a form of discipline. A kind of leadership integrity that’s easy to preach and hard to practice. To be responsible for others—whether as a CEO, a parent, a teammate, or a friend—means first being responsible for yourself. It means doing the work before you show up.
In retrospect, those walks were far more than moments of pause. They were a kind of inner training ground. Over time, I became my own coach, my own teacher, my own accountability partner. I learned to regulate not just my output, but my intention. To step into the day with fullness—not just of action, but of heart.
This wasn’t about perfection. I failed plenty. I made bad decisions. I let people down at times. But the ritual helped me build a muscle for self-honesty. And over time, that honesty helped shape the culture we created at Instrument: one that prized high expectations, mutual trust, and shared responsibility. One where people didn’t just show up—they brought it.
We talk a lot about performance in business—about execution, output, outcomes. But we rarely talk about presence. We rarely ask leaders, "How are you showing up? What energy are you contributing to the room? Are you elevating others, or draining them?" These questions matter. Because teams reflect what you bring. Your discipline becomes their rhythm. Your standards become their baseline. And your attitude—whether generous or indifferent—sets the emotional tone for everyone else.
That’s how great teams are built. One moment of honest reflection at a time. One leader deciding to walk the block, so they can walk back in ready. One person choosing to model the behavior they hope to see—not with words, but with posture and action.
So here’s my invitation to you: build your own ritual. It doesn’t have to be mine. But before you step into the arena—before the Zoom call or the sales pitch, before the parenting moment or the creative session—pause. Breathe. Ask yourself if you’re really ready to contribute, to collaborate, to lead. And if not… take a walk.
It might just change everything.
Because presence is power. And energy is contagious. Bring yours like it matters—because it does.
If today’s message resonated with you—if it made you rethink how you show up for your team, your family, or your mission—please take a second to follow or subscribe on Substack, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
I believe leadership is about energy. And energy starts with intention. If you’re willing to pause, to reflect, and to bring your full presence to what matters—you’ll lead in a way that’s rare and deeply felt.
So before your next meeting, your next challenge, your next moment of truth… take the walk.
Reset. Recommit. Then bring the best of yourself to the people who count on you.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more.
Until then—breathe deeply, lead fully, and walk in with purpose.
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