This post is part of a series that takes aim at the biggest lies we’ve been taught about conflict and communication—and exposes what believing those lies costs us. Titles don’t matter here. Everyone leads in how they speak up, listen, and steady tense moments.
As this series winds down and the year does too, I want to pause in a different way.
December has a way of stripping things down. Capacity is low. Pressure is high. There’s emotional residue from everything you’ve been carrying. And let’s be honest—2025 was a rough year for a lot of people.
This isn’t the season for polished leadership. It’s the season where whatever’s underneath tends to show up.
When Capacity Is Low, Truth Is Loud
The end of the year doesn’t test your values. It tests your capacity.
How you respond when you’re tired is what people learn to expect. December strips leadership down to muscle memory. This time of year shows you what you fall back on when you’re tired and stretched thin.
And we’ve got to be honest about what those things are.
I’ll go first.
What I Notice About Myself
When I’m tired, my sense of urgency increases. Time compresses. I struggle to delegate things I normally would. My focus shifts to getting things off my to-do list as fast as possible—whether that urgency is actually necessary or not.
Not ideal.
And it’s important for me to see myself clearly in these moments. That noticing matters.
This Isn’t About Beating Yourself Up
Not because you’re supposed to respond perfectly when you’re exhausted. You won’t. You’re human. Leadership doesn’t mean getting it right every time—especially at the end of a year like this one.
It matters because noticing creates choice.
When you raise your awareness, you give yourself the chance to pause, to name what’s happening, and to make small shifts over time. Seeing clearly isn’t failure. It’s the doorway. Awareness comes before change, not after it.
A Question Worth Sitting With
As this year closes, it’s worth asking:
- What showed up when your capacity ran thin?
- What did you default to?
- What did people learn from you in those moments?
- What surprised you?
You don’t have to fix any of it right now. Just notice.
If this brought anything into focus for you, I’d love to hear what showed up.
