Leadership Gears
Apr 08, 2026
Leadership isn’t one fixed state,
It’s more like driving a car
Sometimes you are cruising down the highway in fifth gear
Clear, steady, regulated
Leadership feels calm. Decisions land. Energy returns.
Other times, you’re in a different gear entirely.
Responding. Managing. Holding. Pushing.
Not because you’re doing it wrong
But because seasons change, pressure shifts and leadership asks different things of us at different times
Most directors don’t realise they have been stuck in one gear
Until their body tells them first
The leadership gears is a framework I use inside the Directors Academy
To help leaders understand where they are
Why leadership feels the way it does
And how to shift gears intentionally, not forcefully.
This isn’t about staying in fifth gear forever
It’s about knowing how to lead well in every season
And knowing how to move out of the gears that drain you
This is the beginning of a series
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be breaking down each gear
What it feels like, when it shows up, and what support actually helps
If this already makes sense to you,
You are exactly who this was built for 💕
