Messy is one of my most uncomfortable places, as I think it is for many women, especially of my generation (Gen X, baby!) and older.

Most companies have values. They’re on the website, in the onboarding deck, possibly painted on the wall near the coffee station. They’re well-intentioned. They were probably the result of a real conversation in a real offsite somewhere.

It walks like fear. It quacks like fear. It produces the same paralysis, the same 3am ceiling-staring that fear produces.

It’s not a product or  technology shift. It’s a value shift,  and it’s beginning to show up in purchase decisions, talent decisions, and retention numbers in ways that can no longer be ignored.

This month we’re exploring Clarity, Focus, and Direction. And one of our members shared an experience that is incredibly common. In fact, you’ve probably fallen into this trap yourself. You may still be in it.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you’re updating your resume: AI can write one. A pretty good one…What it will not do is make anyone feel something about you.

When you’re in the middle of an experience you don’t prefer, try saying this out loud…

If you’ve said that out loud, or just felt the oppressive weight of it on your chest every morning, what you’re feeling is not failure. You’re just overwhelmed.