Dr. Cara shares how she stopped trying to control every detail and learned to lead from her values instead. When a struggling team member faced a non-negotiable deadline, she stayed compassionate about their situation while holding firm on the outcome, flexible on how they got there.
Leaders who can't navigate polarities create environments where people feel like they have to be perfect or hide their struggles. Where innovation dies because people are afraid to take risks that might not align with whatever side the leader is. On that day, for me personally, I was exhausting myself trying to be consistent in the wrong way. I thought consistency meant always responding the same way, but real consistency means always leading from your values, even when those values create tension with each other. Let me take you back to that moment in my office, the struggling team member and the non negotiable deadline. Here's how I learned to hold space for the and instead of choosing between compassion and excellence, I realized I could embody both. I could be deeply compassionate about their struggle and maintain high standards for the work. I could be flexible with the process and firm about the outcome. The conversation became I can see you're struggling and I want to understand what support you need. And we have a commitment to our stakeholders that we need to honor. Let's figure out together how to get you the help you need while ensuring we deliver excellent work.
