There’s something about this season that stops me mid-stride.
The air shifts. The light softens. The calendar speeds up. One minute it’s July and you’re in sandals; the next, you’re reaching for scarves and saying, “How is it almost November?”
Time flies, and yet it’s also an invitation to pause. To look up from the sprint of deadlines and notice what’s changing: inside us, around us, and in our teams.
The world is shifting too. Climate patterns, workplaces, technology… everything is in transition. We don’t get to control the pace, only our response.
For leaders, this is the real challenge:
When time feels like it’s racing, the instinct is to match the speed. But great leadership often means doing the opposite. Slowing down enough to notice.
Notice what’s working. Notice what’s ready to be released. Notice who’s quietly fading under the weight of “busy.”
Autumn reminds us that letting go is not failure, it’s preparation. And presence is not stillness, it’s strength. So before the next season sweeps in, I invite you to ask yourself:
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What needs to fall away?
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What deserves more attention before it’s gone?
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And how can you lead at the pace of presence, not pressure?
Because when time flies, your grounded attention becomes the calm in everyone else’s whirlwind.
Written by Meredith Campbell-Jess, an ICF-certified Leadership Coach and HR Associate with TallSky Consulting Group. Meredith partners with organizations to build stronger, more connected teams and she leads sessions on trust and communication, leadership alignment, high-performing teams, and Respect in the Workplace. To follow Meredith: https://substack.com/@meredithcj