welcome to the Leadership In Focus newsletter.
What My Mom Taught Me About Living, Before It Was Too Late
Curtis Scaplen’s Mom spent seven years not knowing when her last day would come.
Something changed in her. No ego. No masks. No wasted moments. Just presence.
It made me ask myself a question I haven't been able to shake since:
Why do we wait for the wake-up call before we start becoming who we already know we're meant to be?
You’re Not in a Race. But Your Brain Didn’t Get the Memo.
Not everything is a competition.
But tell that to the part of my brain that sees a lane-weaver on the highway and suddenly thinks we’re in the finals.
A healthy competitive edge can sharpen a leader.
Unchecked? It can make you exhausting to work with, hard to trust, and impossible to relax around.
This week’s blog is about the difference between competing to build something… and competing just because your ego got tapped on the shoulder.
Sometimes the most mature thing a leader can do is put the scoreboard down.
The Addiction to Fixing Things (And What It's Costing the People You Lead)
We say we’re helping.
Offering perspective.
Giving advice.
Trying to “fix” things.
But sometimes…
We’re just getting in the way.
The hardest habit for leaders (and parents) to break?
Thinking every moment needs a solution.
Sometimes what people need isn’t direction.
It’s support.
👉 This week’s blog is about learning when to put down the wrench.
The Hardest Thing in Leadership Right Now? Staying Human.
The hardest thing in leadership right now?
Staying human.
We are living in a moment that rewards performance over presence, certainty over curiosity, and reaction over reflection.
Technology connects us instantly.
But depth has become optional.
In business, negotiations become battles.
In culture, disagreement becomes division.
In leadership, clarity is replaced with control.
The problem isn’t difference.
It’s distance.
The leaders who will shape the future won’t be the loudest voices in the room.
They will be the ones who remove the mask.
They will listen before reacting.
Seek understanding before victory.
Create safety before demanding performance.
AI will accelerate.
Algorithms will amplify.
Information will compete for attention.
But none of that replaces our most reliable guide:
Humanity.
The invitation is simple:
Lead with heart.
Remove the mask.
Stay human.
#Leadership #LeadershipDevelopment #Culture #BrandTruth #AuthenticLeadership
A Note From the Future: These Are the Good Old Days
A Note From the Future: These Are the Good Old Days
This week, Curtis Scaplen shares the story of how one question flipped his perspective:
👉 “If you could go 10 years into the future and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?”
The answer?
“These are the good old days, make them so.”
If you've been feeling heavy, stuck, or just going through the motions, this is your reminder to pause, reflect, and reclaim the moment you're in.
📝 Read now and start writing the version of your life you’ll be proud to remember.