This month, we are exploring Influence Without Authority and the tension between control and influence. Leadership is not measured by how much authority you have. It is measured by how much trust you create. Alongside this month’s journal, Permission Slip No. 005 reminds you that you have permission to change your mind. Strong leaders do not cling to old decisions simply because they made them. They allow new information, deeper reflection, and growing wisdom to shape what comes next. Take time to work through the journal, reflect honestly, and consider where you may need to release control, strengthen trust, or choose a different approach. Your November Leadership Pulse Check is coming soon, so this is a great time to pause and notice where your leadership is today. 💚

What a night! You showed up, you got honest, and you shared things most leaders keep to themselves. Thank you for that. A room like that takes work to build, and you built it. Permission Slip No. 004 had us wrestling with busyness and progress, and the conversation kept circling back to one quiet question: how much of what we call leadership is really the pressure to have the answer? Which brings me to this month’s Leadership Lab Journal: Leading Through Uncertainty Inside you’ll find Edgar Schein’s research on Humble Inquiry, an AI reflection prompt that asks you ten progressively deeper questions and leaves the solving to you, and one reflection question I’m still sitting with myself: Where am I confusing certainty with confidence? Your commitment this month is small, and it’s hard. Replace one assumption with one meaningful question. Download the journal below. Then come back and tell me in the comments: what’s the one assumption you’re trading in this week? 👇🏾

Look what arrived today 🩷

I know I have been a stranger. So much has happened, then I look up, and I've missed the meetings. I may not have been here, but I know you all have done amazing work. I am catching up on the messages now. I have been actively working what I have learned, with both positive and negative results. However, I am not dwelling on the negative results. I am rewinding what the cause was and seeing what I need to change. That alone is hard work. See you at the next meeting.

The Leadership Lab is filled with women whose work, wisdom, and commitment deserve to be recognized. Each month, we will celebrate one of the leaders helping make this community so special. We are honored to begin with @Tiffany Ferrell! Tiffany leads with heart, purpose, and a genuine commitment to helping others move forward. Her presence reflects exactly what we hope to cultivate in the Lab: meaningful connection, shared growth, and leadership that makes room for others. Please join us in celebrating Tiffany and showing her some Leadership Lab love in the comments! 💚