This week, Simon Sinek said something that gave me hope.

“AI can do many things, but it can’t struggle for us. In a world of accelerating tech, it’s not certainty that makes great leaders. It’s the willingness to wrestle with uncertainty, sit in the discomfort, and still show up.”

Lately, leaders have been asking the real question: “How do I lead when I don’t know where the world is going – or I do, and it terrifies me?”

Because the map doesn’t make sense anymore. Technology is changing how we work, how we measure value, how we make decisions and no one handed us a new guidebook.

What do you do when the majority of your company could be replaced in the next year, and the board is still looking to you for answers? What do you say to your team when you’re uncertain yourself?

Perhaps you stop performing certainty and you start leading from something deeper – instinct, honesty, presence.

Leaders everywhere are trying to pivot in their sense of usefulness in a system being rewritten in real time.

Because when AI writes the updates you used to obsess over, when dashboards automate the insights you used to deliver…it’s not just your tasks that change, but it’s your identity.

Who are you if you’re not the sharpest voice in the room? What happens when the person you spent 20 years becoming doesn’t feel necessary anymore?

Maybe this isn’t a story of crisis, but it’s a story of courage. The courage to say: “I don’t know.” To take off the mask and to lead anyway.

The more tech advances, the more we need to focus on the skills that AI can’t replace: discernment, empathy and humanity. No one can take that from you.

What if value didn’t mean being indispensable? What if leadership meant showing your fear and your hope?

Perhaps this is a return, a rewilding and a deep breath before something different.

I have to believe there’s something waiting on the other side that’s quieter and more human.

Here’s to new beginnings, building the foundation and braving the storm.

Please share your comments below and join in on the conversation.

In your corner,

Kate

Comments +

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

behind the brand

Some granular details

Kate continues to write and speak about a new kind of leadership one that’s more human, more honest, and more deeply attuned to what this moment asks of us. Her work blends brand strategy with lived experience, and it resonates with executives who are ready to step forward without needing to shout.

Luke now splits his time between Elo Branding and his work through Marlin, where he helps companies find exceptional leaders. It’s a natural extension of the work he’s done for years: spotting potential, listening closely, and helping people show up fully where it matters most.

You’ll find both Kate and Luke on LinkedIn, sharing thoughts in real time, and often in their Boulder community speaking with local founders, supporting high-growth teams, or just walking the beautiful trails.

Grab a copy of our free

 conference playbook

For years, I treated conferences like a sprint - talk to everyone, stay visible, say yes to everything. I’d leave exhausted, disconnected, and three days behind on my emails.

Eventually, I stopped performing. I stopped trying to be everywhere and started focusing on being present.

This playbook is for the quiet powerhouses. The deep thinkers. The ambitious-but-a-bit-over-it crowd.

Whether you’re behind the mic or beside the coffee cart - this is for you.

Grab your copy below.