Every leader hits this wall: when doing what feels right for you clashes with what seems right for the system.
Originally posted on LinkedIn on 05 Nov 2025
Every leader hits this wall: when doing what feels right for you clashes with what seems right for the system.
You’ve probably been there.
When your sense of integrity pulls one way, while culture, people, or pressure pull another.
You do what feels right by your principles, but it doesn’t land.
Or you do what keeps the system moving, and it leaves you uneasy, like you’ve stepped away from yourself just a little.
That’s the tension between leading from values and leading with influence.
Leading from values means standing firm in your beliefs, speaking truth, doing what feels right.
But when overused, it can disconnect you from others.
Leading with influence means meeting people where they are. Understanding their context, listening deeply, and translating what matters to you into something that resonates with them.
It’s not about giving up your truth.
It’s about expressing it in a way others can hear, engage with, and move alongside.
Because leadership is not only about standing firm.
It’s about creating movement.
If this speaks to you, share it with someone who might need it too.