Hey Leaders, Leadership has never been free from pressure, but today's leaders face an unprecedented combination of economic uncertainty, rapid technological change, and constant disruption. The question isn't whether you'll experience stress—it's how you'll respond to it. In the latest Harvard Business Review article, "6 Ways Leaders Harness Stress," Jon Miller and Drew Keller explain that the most effective leaders aren't immune to stress. Instead, they understand their natural reactions under pressure and learn to adapt their leadership style to meet the demands of the moment. The authors identify six common leadership response styles when facing stress: 🔹 The Lighthouse – Provides calm, clarity, and stability. 🔹 The Alchemist – Sees disruption as an opportunity for innovation. 🔹 The Firefighter – Takes decisive action when immediate response is needed. 🔹 The Stoic – Brings discipline, logic, and focus to difficult situations. 🔹 The Diplomat – Builds trust, manages relationships, and keeps teams connected. 🔹 The Container – Creates structure and order when everything feels uncertain. The article reminds us that no single leadership style is best. Every approach has strengths—and blind spots. Exceptional leaders develop the self-awareness to recognize their default response and the flexibility to adjust as circumstances change. As John C. Maxwell teaches, "Leadership is influence." Under pressure, our influence isn't determined by whether we feel stressed—it's determined by how we respond to that stress. The strongest leaders don't simply endure pressure. They transform pressure into purpose, clarity, and growth. Leadership Reflection: When pressure rises, what leadership style do you naturally fall into—and what strengths or blind spots does it create for your team? Read the full Harvard Business Review article: "6 Ways Leaders Harness Stress" By Jon Miller & Drew Keller July–August 2026 Issue – Dr. Joe

Hey Leaders, Your failure is the most effective engine for your growth — and the most underutilized. In this week’s episode, John reveals the five-step cycle that transforms every setback into your next leap forward as a leader. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede dive into real-world strategies to help you put this growth cycle into action and boost your team’s innovation. Key takeaways: - True innovation thrives when leaders create a culture where failing is seen as a crucial part of learning and improving. - The sequence of testing, failing, learning, improving, and re-entering ensures that mistakes become stepping stones, not stumbling blocks. - Sustainable growth comes from asking, “What did I learn?” after every setback and quickly applying those lessons to move forward stronger than before. Click here to listen. The BONUS resource for this episode is the Five-Step Cycle That Turns Failure into Your Fastest Path to Growth Worksheet, which includes fill-in-the-blank notes from John’s teaching. Be sure to download the bonus resource

Small Businesses Now Eligible for $10 Million in SBA Financing New SBA Policy Allows Borrowers to Combine 7(a) and 504 Loans to Double Available Capital WASHINGTON – Today, Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), announced that SBA borrowers may now combine their 7(a) and 504 loans for up to $10 million in SBA-backed financing, an increase from the previous cumulative loan limit of $5 million. The policy change, which went into effect on July 4, expands the capital available to small businesses across all industries by raising the SBA's maximum financing offering to the highest level in agency history.

Hey Leaders, Have you ever found yourself saying, "I just don't have enough time"? It's one of the most common phrases we use, yet in this TED Talk, Laura Vanderkam challenges us to think differently. She argues that time is not something we simply find. Time is something we choose. One of the most powerful ideas from this talk is that we don't build meaningful lives by saving a few minutes here and there. Instead, we build the lives we want by intentionally prioritizing what matters most. Vanderkam shares a simple but profound truth: when something is truly important, we find the time for it. Just as we would immediately rearrange our schedules to respond to a family emergency or a broken water heater, we should learn to treat our priorities with that same level of importance. As leaders, this is a valuable reminder. Our calendars reveal our priorities more honestly than our intentions ever will. If leadership development, family, personal growth, health, or mentoring others truly matter to us, they should appear on our schedules before everything else begins competing for our attention. One practical strategy Laura offers is to think ahead. Instead of reacting to each day as it comes, spend time planning the upcoming week by identifying priorities in three key areas: - Career - Relationships - Self When we intentionally schedule what matters most, we are far more likely to accomplish it. She also reminds us that every week contains 168 hours. While our responsibilities differ, we often have more flexibility than we realize. The question is not whether we have enough time. The question is whether we are intentionally investing the time we've been given. You can watch the full TED Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/laura_vanderkam_how_to_gain_control_of_your_free_time As leaders, let's challenge ourselves this week to stop saying, "I don't have time," and instead ask, "Is this a priority?" That simple shift in perspective can transform how we lead, how we serve, and how we build the life we truly want.

We make choices every day that reflect who we believe ourselves to be. When our identity is shaky, our decisions wobble with it. But when our identity is rooted—when we know who we are and what we stand for—our choices start aligning with our future instead of our fears. Identity isn’t just personal; it’s directional. It shapes how we respond to pressure, opportunity, and uncertainty.