Leading Edge Advisory Partners

10/10/2026

10/03/2026

There’s something about a road trip that feels a lot like leadership.

You have a destination.

You have a plan.

You think you know how you’re going to get there.

Then comes construction. A wrong turn. Bad weather. Someone needs a break. The plan changes.

MINI Takes the States has me thinking about how much of leadership works the same way.

Early in my career, I thought good leaders were the ones who knew where they were going and had the answers to get everyone there.

After a few decades of leading people, I see it differently.

Good leadership is having a direction while remaining willing to adjust the route.

It’s paying attention to the people traveling with you—not just the destination.

It’s knowing when to lead from the front, when to follow someone else’s lead, and when to pull over and figure out where the heck you are. 😂

Most importantly, it’s understanding that sometimes the experiences you didn’t plan for become the ones that teach you the most.

Maybe that’s why I keep coming back to the idea of leadership in the rearview mirror.

You understand some lessons only after you’ve traveled far enough to look back and see them clearly.

Here’s to the road ahead—and everything it teaches us along the way.

10/02/2026

One of the things I’ve found fascinating watching Julia Stiles on Dancing with the Stars is how people respond to someone who isn’t as emotionally expressive as they expect her to be.

There seems to be this subtle pressure to show more.

More excitement. More vulnerability. More emotion. More enthusiasm.

When someone is reserved, professional and focused, we can interpret that as being less invested, less passionate or somehow less engaged.

I’ve seen the same thing throughout my career.

Some people wear everything on their sleeve. Others don’t.

Some people are spontaneous and comfortable figuring things out as they go. Others prepare, focus and execute.

Some people bring visible energy into a room. Others bring steadiness.

Neither is right or wrong.

Yet we often nudge the quieter or more reserved person to become more like the expressive one.

“Loosen up.”

“Show more emotion.”

“Let people see the real you.”

Maybe that is the real them.

It can be a difficult place to occupy professionally when you’re naturally focused, structured and reserved, particularly when the people around you are more comfortable being spontaneous or even a little haphazard.

That doesn’t make either approach wrong.

It makes them different.

Emotional expression isn’t the same thing as emotional depth.

Enthusiasm isn’t the same thing as commitment.

Spontaneity isn’t the same thing as creativity.

And being reserved isn’t the same thing as being disconnected.

As leaders, maybe we need to spend a little less time nudging people toward the personality we’re most comfortable with and a little more time understanding the one they already have.

Different isn’t deficient.

Sometimes it’s just different.

09/30/2026

Today’s leadership lesson comes from Pismo Beach.

Sometimes you need to get away from your desk, your calendar, your meetings, your deadlines…and look a little farther out.

Leadership can become very focused on what’s right in front of us.

The problem that needs to be solved.

The employee who needs our attention.

The deadline that’s coming.

The numbers we need to hit.

All important.

Yet when we spend all of our time looking at what’s immediately in front of us, we can lose sight of where we’re actually going.

Standing here today, I’m reminded that good leadership requires perspective.

Every once in a while, look up.

Ask yourself:

Am I still leading toward something—or am I just managing what keeps showing up?

Do the people I lead know where we’re going?

Have I been so busy getting things done that I haven’t stopped to ask whether they’re still the right things?

Sometimes the best thing you can do as a leader isn’t push harder.

It’s create enough space to see farther.

Kristine’s Truth:
You can’t lead toward the horizon if you never look up long enough to see it.

Today, Pismo Beach is a pretty good place to look up.

09/30/2026

One of the easiest leadership traps is believing, “I already explained that.”

Maybe you did. That doesn’t mean everyone heard it, understood it, or interpreted it the same way.

Strong leaders don’t assume clarity. They check for it.

09/28/2026

Knowing what motivates you—and what no longer does—can tell you a lot about what you need from your career.

Before asking "What job should I look for?” ask:

“What do I want more of?”

That’s where career clarity begins.

09/26/2026

09/26/2026

This is one of my favorite ways to spend a day.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in Soroptimist’s Dream It. Be It. program at a local high school. My workshop was Understanding Your Values and how those values connect to career goals.

After more than 30 years in HR, I’ve interviewed, hired, coached, promoted, counseled and worked alongside a whole lot of people. One thing I’ve learned is that career decisions get much easier when you understand what actually matters to you.

Not what your parents think you should do.
Not what sounds impressive.
Not simply what pays the most.

What matters to you? What kind of life do you want? What kind of work fits into that life?

Those are big questions for a high school student. Frankly, they’re big questions for plenty of adults, too.

It’s also one of the reasons I wrote “So, You Want to Be a Grown-Up?” We spend years preparing young people academically, then expect them to somehow know how to make decisions about careers, money, benefits, credit, housing and all the other pieces of adult life.

My HR career gave me a lot of knowledge and experience. Writing the book gave me a way to put some of it into the hands of young adults. Dream It. Be It. gives me the chance to sit in a room with them and talk about it.

That may be my favorite part.

I love being able to use what I’ve learned over the years to give back to my community—and maybe help a young person make their next decision with a little more clarity and confidence.

Dream it. Be it. And first, figure out what matters to you.