Leading Through the Hard

Lead With Intention This Week

June 11, 2025

Leading Through the Hard: How Real Leaders Rise When It Matters Most

Let’s get real: leadership isn’t tested when everything’s going smoothly. It’s forged in the fire when chaos hits, plans unravel, and everyone’s looking for a steady hand.

This week on The Evoke Greatness Podcast, I’m breaking down what it truly means to lead through the hard and why those messy, uninvited moments are actually your greatest opportunities.

Fear Is Contagious…But So Is Calm

Here’s the truth: whether you’re leading a team, a company, or just trying to lead yourself out of a tough spot, your energy is setting the tone. If you spiral, your people spiral. If you steady the ship, they’ll grab an oar and row with you. Calm is contagious, and as a leader, you get to choose the emotional temperature of the room.

But don’t confuse calm with fake positivity. No one’s buying “Everything’s fine!” when it’s not. Leadership requires you to get rooted, separate fact from fear, and show up with authenticity.

Radical Responsibility: No More Excuses

When adversity strikes, it’s tempting to blame the circumstances, other people, or even fate. But radical responsibility—the kind that says, “Everything is my fault” is the gateway to real growth. Ask yourself:

• What really happened here?

• Where was the breakdown?

• What did I miss, ignore, or underestimate?

Clarity may sting, but it’s the birthplace of action. Growth doesn’t happen in comfort; it happens when you get honest, do the work, and refuse to waste the lesson.

Shape the Culture, Don’t Just Solve Problems

Here’s where good leaders become great: they don’t just solve the immediate issue—they shape the culture. When you lead through hard times with grace and honesty, you create psychological safety. Your people know it’s okay to stumble, own mistakes, and most importantly…grow.

You model resilience. Not the grind-it-out, hustle-harder variety, but the kind that pauses, learns, and adapts. That’s the kind of leader people follow by choice, not obligation.

Memorable Truths to Lead By

• “Fear is contagious, but so is calm.”

• “Leadership is not about avoiding hard times. It’s about becoming the kind of person who knows how to move through them, and brings others with you.”

• “Be the thermostat instead of the thermometer.”

Here’s the Bottom Line

The hard seasons will come. That’s not failure, it’s life. But you, my friend, are a leader. Don’t waste the lesson. Don’t project your fear. Do the work, own your heart, and find the root. Because when you lead well through the hard, you don’t just survive—you shape the story.

On the other side of that challenge? A more impactful, empowering, and unstoppable version of you is waiting.

Want more? Listen to the full episode now—and share it with someone you know who’s walking through fire. Because how you rise in the hard is what defines you.

Ready to lead with courage, calm, and heart?
Click the ling below to listen to the full episode of Evoke Greatness →