When Leadership Feels Heavy: What to Do (Instead of Pretending You're Fine)

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE STRONG ALL THE TIME TO BE A STRONG LEADER.

SOME DAYS, LEADERSHIP FEELS LIGHT.

You're in flow. Your team clicks. Things move.

But other days?
It’s quiet, invisible work.
You’re holding pressure no one sees. Making decisions no one will fully understand.

And you still show up.

But what if showing up didn’t mean pretending everything's okay?

Here’s what most leadership advice skips over:

Even grounded, human-centered leaders have off days.

What matters isn’t hiding it.
It’s knowing what to do with it.

1. NAME IT — EVEN JUST TO YOURSELF

Write it down or say it aloud: “This feels hard today.”
“This isn’t flowing.”
“This decision is heavier than usual.”

Naming it doesn’t weaken your leadership.
It clears the fog.

2. SLOW YOUR PACE — JUST FOR ONE DECISION

You don’t need a full day off.
But you can take 60 seconds before your next meeting and ask:

"WHAT DOES THIS MOMENT REALLY NEED FROM ME?"

Let go of default responses.
Choose presence.

3. ASK FOR WHAT YOU NEED (PRIVATELY OR PUBLICLY)

You don’t need to share everything.
But you can reach out to someone who “gets it.”

Try:
“Can I talk this out with you for 10 minutes?”
Or:
“I’m carrying a lot this week — just needed someone to know.”

Even the strongest leaders need space to be human.

Sometimes it looks like:

• Taking a breath before you reply
• Admitting you don’t have the answer
• Letting someone else take the lead for a moment

That’s not a weakness.
That’s wise leadership.

If this post hit home, start with my free ebook:

THE POWER OF HUMAN-CENTERED LEADERSHIP

It’s short, practical, and made for leaders like you.

👉 Get the ebook here

More tools are coming soon — including a resource for leaders navigating pressure, burnout, and transition.

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