I Reserve the Right to Be Smarter Tomorrow

I reserve the right to be smarter tomorrow.

That one sentence has become something of a personal mantra, a professional challenge, and a reminder that leadership is never static. It’s not a finish line. It’s not a title. And it’s certainly not an excuse to stop growing.

Every great leader keeps learning. Period.

In fact, if you’ve stopped learning, chances are you’ve also stopped leading — at least in any meaningful way.

That brings me to a question I’ve been asking a lot of clients lately: What’s something you’ve learned in the last three months that changed how you lead? Not some massive life overhaul. Just one lesson. One mindset shift. One new practice. Something that’s nudged your leadership forward, helped you reframe a challenge, or better serve your team.

Here’s mine.

I Thought I Knew What Covenant Meant…

Over the last several months, I’ve been re-learning — or maybe finally grasping — the full weight of the word covenant as it relates to leadership.

I’ve talked about it for years as one of The Four Leadership Necessities — alongside conviction, competence, and character. But recently, through conversations with fellow leaders, and even in a moment at a McDonald’s off the highway in Giddings, Texas (yes, really), I’ve started to realize that covenant leadership is not just a model. It’s a promise.

It’s the unspoken but deeply felt pledge we make to our teams:

“I’m here for you — not just for results, but for your growth.”

Covenant isn’t just about accountability and metrics — although those matter. It’s about presence. About availability. It’s about being the kind of leader who sticks with people through the hard stuff, who offers grace and clarity in equal measure, who shows up not just when it’s convenient, but when it’s costly.

We’re All Redford at First

Redford, our rescued golden retriever, came to us broken. Literally. He had been abused, neglected, and bred for profit rather than care. When we adopted him, he was afraid of everything — loud noises, quick movements, even my voice.

I wanted him to trust me right away. But trust doesn’t work that way. I had to learn to lead him differently.

I remember one late night — I’d just gotten back from a client trip and dropped my suitcase in the hallway with a tired, triumphant “I’m home!”

Redford panicked. Bolted.

It hit me: I had to meet him where he was — not where I wanted him to be.

That’s leadership. That’s covenant.

Sometimes, your team members are Redford. They’ve been burned by bad bosses, or life has hit them hard. You don’t lead those people with policies and pep talks. You lead them with consistency, humility, and time.

“Go Toward the Pressure”

One of the best lessons I’ve re-learned lately came out of our Hard Conversations training. It’s this simple phrase:

“Go toward the pressure.”

It’s true in conflict. It’s true in coaching. It’s true in crisis.

If leadership was easy, everyone would be doing it. But the call is not to shy away from the hard stuff — it’s to lean in. To go toward the pressure — not to dominate it, but to understand it. To walk into tension with calm clarity and a commitment to growth.

There’s a difference between having a critical eye and a critical spirit. Leaders see everything. They just don’t say everything. Wisdom is knowing when to speak, how to frame it, and what the other person needs most.

Lately, I’ve been challenging myself to practice the “quick, slow, slow” rhythm: quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry. (Thank you, St. James.) It’s hard. But it’s also transformational.

The World Is Changing. Are You?

Someone asked me recently, “How do you keep up with all the changes in leadership?”

My answer?

You don’t.

You don’t keep up. You keep growing.

If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that what worked before doesn’t always work now. Hybrid workforces. Younger generations. Political tensions. AI. Climate shifts. Disruption is the default setting of the modern workplace.

So here’s the real leadership test: Are you growing faster than the rate of change around you?

Because if not, you’re not leading anymore — you’re reacting.

“We are shaping the world faster than we can change ourselves, and we are applying to the present the habits of the past.”
– Winston Churchill

Leader, Stay Curious

So let me ask again: What have you learned in the last 90 days that’s changed how you lead?

Don’t give me a TED Talk. Give me a real answer. Something that’s messed with your thinking. Nudged you forward. Challenged your assumptions.

Maybe you’ve realized you need to listen more. Or delegate better. Or get back to early morning reflection (The Leader’s Hour still works). Maybe you’ve learned the power of going last, not first. Of being humble, not hurried. Of asking, not assuming.

Whatever it is — keep learning.

Because great leaders don’t just say, “I reserve the right to be smarter tomorrow.”
They live like it.