When It Hits You Funny: Leadership, Reflection & The Mirror We Avoid

Some posts aren’t written to educate or provoke. They just happen to hold up a mirror. And sometimes… that mirror makes people squirm.

I wrote on LinkedIn recently about leadership and culture - not as a concept, but as a lived, daily practice. I said culture isn’t created in mission statements or quarterly memos. It’s revealed in pressure. In silence. In the way people behave when no one is watching and there is nothing left to gain.

And then the DMs and text messages came in.

“Was that post about me?”
“Is this about what happened with [insert situation]?”
“Are you mad at someone?”
“Are you okay?”

Let me clear this up: I won’t name names. I don’t use my platform to air dirty laundry… EVER. If you are not in my trusted circle or directly involved in a situation, you will never be fully read into it.
With that said, I do write about patterns, about truths, and from the front lines of leadership where things are messy, personal and sometimes painfully real.

Leadership is not a performance.
It’s not clever branding. A slogan. A quote. Mission, Vision, Values posted on a website or wall in the office.
True leadership is the DAILY choice to either live your values or betray them in silence.

So if something I write hits you funny?
That’s not me calling you out. That’s your own conscience calling you in.

I’m not above this reflection, its something I practice everyday, just like going to the gym or sticking to my nutrition goals.
I ask myself:

• Am I upholding what I say I stand for?

• Is my leadership shaped by convenience or conviction?

• Am I leading with clarity or just going through the motions?

This blog isn’t for those chasing surface-level advice or curated leadership quotes.
I write for those ready to face their own blind spots, drop the performance, and raise the bar on what real integrity looks like.
And let’s be clear, this isn’t just about your growth.
It’s about mine too!

When I lead a team, I never ask nor expect a standard I won’t hold myself to first. THis blog is no different. I write with honesty, conviction, bold opinions and I’m here to challenge you to elevate your game. On the flipside, I welcome dialogue, share your perspective, disagree with me, offer your own experience.
I don’t need to make every mistake myself to learn something powerful.

Have I fallen back into bad habits? Absolutely.
Will it happen again? Probably.

That is why I surround myself with people who love me enough to call me out or remind me who I am if I don’t catch it first. That’s leadership too.

There’s a reason I keep myself on #75Hard 95% of the time… I thrive in structured chaos and I believe with every cell in my body that discipline is the greatest form of self-love that exists.

I know what I need to operate at my best and I share those systems openly.
If it works for you, take it.
If not, leave it.
Never stop refining what drives your success and how you show up as a leader.

Repeatable, scalable systems - whether in life or business - may not look sexy.
But the freedom they unlock is next-level!

So if something here hits you funny, don’t run from it.
Lean in. Reflect. Ask yourself the hard question:

“Am I who I say I am through my actions?”

Reflection Exercise

Take five minutes today and ask yourself:

• Where in my leadership am I performing rather than living my values?

• What’s one behaviour I’ve been tolerating in myself that contradicts the culture I say I care about?

  • Do you lead a team - Is there a behaviour that’s being tolerated that contradicts the culture or standards you’re building?

• If someone watched only my actions - not my words - what would they say I truly stand for?

Now, choose one area to realign this week.
Not tomorrow. Not next quarter. Now.

Integrity isn’t built in intentions. It’s built in what you do next.

– Jenn
From the riverbanks to the boardroom, these are the moments that teach us how to lead and how to live.

About Jenn - The Patriot Angler