Lately, I’ve found myself in a bit of a paradox.

We’re growing—rolling out new products, traveling more, in different cities, meeting great leaders and building something I care deeply about. It’s exciting. It’s what you hope for when you start something.

But at the same time, I’ve been busier than ever… and in some ways, less connected than I want to be.

And that’s the part that doesn’t sit right.

Because a big part of what I believe—and what we’re building—is helping leaders stay connected to their people. I talk about it all the time. Why it matters. How to do it. How to stay consistent.

And yet, I can feel how easy it is to drift myself.

Not in a big, obvious way. But in small ways that add up. A follow-up that doesn’t happen. A conversation that gets pushed. A moment I meant to come back to—and didn’t.

It’s subtle. But it’s real.

And if I’m being honest, it’s made me reflect on something I’d do differently if I could go back to my time as a CEO.

It Was Never About the Big Moments

If I could go back, I’d spend less time focusing on the big moments—and more time protecting the small ones.

Because when I think back, people don’t remember most of the decisions I made.

They remember the conversations.

They remember whether I followed up. Whether I noticed what they were going through… or walked right past it.

They remember how I made them feel.

And most of that comes from moments that don’t look all that important at the time.

A quick check-in. A note you didn’t have to send. Remembering something personal. Following through when you said you would.

None of those take much time. But they do take intention.

And when things get busy, intention is usually the first thing to go.

What Growth Really Tests

That’s what I’ve been feeling lately.

Growth doesn’t just test your strategy—it tests your consistency.

It tests whether you can stay grounded in what matters most, even when everything around you is speeding up. When your schedule is full. When your attention is pulled in a hundred different directions.

Because connection doesn’t disappear all at once.

It fades.

And it fades in the exact moments when people need it most.

That’s the tension. That’s the paradox.

The more responsibility you have, the easier it is to lose the very thing that makes leadership work.

What I’m Trying to Do Now

If I could go back, I wouldn’t try to be more efficient.

I’d try to be more present.

I’d spend less time thinking about the big moments—and more time protecting the small ones, because those are the ones that actually shape how people experience your leadership.

And right now, I’m trying to do the same thing in this season.

Slowing down just enough to notice more. Following up when it would be easy not to. Making sure people don’t get lost in the pace of growth.

Not perfectly. But more intentionally.

Because at the end of the day, leadership isn’t just about what you build.

It’s about the people you build it with—and how they feel along the way.