Beyond the Disruption

With all the hype about AI, automation and the accelerating pace of change, it's easy for leaders to feel overwhelmed. Add to that the constant recalibration of hybrid work, economic uncertainty and shifting employee expectations, many leaders find themselves anxious about how to keep up without losing sight of what truly matters.

Leadership is tested most in moments of disruption, and I was reminded of this recently when I shared a personal challenge with my team. What I expected to be an awkward explanation became something far more profound: a moment of compassion, gratitude and connection. One colleague told me, "Thank you for trusting us enough to be vulnerable. We are here for you, always." That exchange reinforced a lesson I keep coming back to: Humanity is the anchor that makes teams resilient.

Around the same time, during a call with ASAE’s Hispanic Association Executives group, I found myself in a deeper conversation with my colleague Carlos Cardenas. We compared notes on how our teams are navigating change, and we realized that my recent experience with vulnerability and his perspective as a veteran leader intersected in meaningful ways. We decided to continue the dialogue, and those conversations ultimately shaped the reflections in this article.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE's Center for Association Leadership.