Mainstream ideas of leadership over focus on visible work. Like build your ‘executive presence’ so you can command a room. Or strengthen your communications so you can appear more polished. Or speak about your accomplishments confidently to show credibility. What often doesn’t get talked about is the invisible work behind-the-scenes.

Many think that to make transformative social change, you need to run for politics. Or become a senior bureaucrat in government. Or the President/CEO of a non-profit or labour union. While those roles come with the power to make change, it doesn’t guarantee positive impact. Especially if the process to get to the top swallows you whole.

It's hard not to fall for capitalist markers of success. Success for my generation meant getting into a good university, earning six figures, and retiring with a pension. So, I built my career based on the millennial playbook.

Doing systems change work without knowing how much power you have is risky business. That’s cuz the system wants you to think you’re powerless. It’s by design. 

So many leaders are hurting in isolation right now. They’re hurting quietly while trying to show up for their team. They’re grieving silently cuz they’re expected to have their shit together. They’re facing backlash behind-the-scenes for leading with integrity. 

I got my PCC certification a few months ago and I’m still beaming from this win. To some the PCC is a new badge and announcement to share on LinkedIn. To others it’s 3 new initials to add to their name. To a handful it’s a dreaded exam 😬

The conversation I want to have is about the internal cost of relying on capitalist tools built for profit, extraction, and domination. And how ChatGPT is weakening our capacity to reimagine liberated futures.

One of the biggest things I've learned is that meaningful and sustainable change requires with deep, vulnerable work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a leader looking to pursue to a new career, or show up more authentically, or honour new boundaries in your life - it's necessary to confront the narratives, experiences and emotions that might be stopping you from moving forward before you determine your action plan.

Quiet quitting is a result of employees reprioritizing what’s important to them - like mental health, family, relationships, and self-love - and setting the boundaries to protect those priorities. Rather than condemn employees who have chosen to quiet quit, we need to be curious about what’s influencing these decisions.

I’ve had the privilege of working with many inspiring change leaders over the course of my career. Change leaders not by title but by how they led. Diverse leaders who challenged the status quo to create meaningful change.