Lessons from the Chaos: Progress, Persistence, and Presence

Leadership doesn’t always look like boardrooms, polished speeches, or quarterly reports. Sometimes it looks like a dad trying to fix a broken outlet in the garage, all the while calming two daughters awake at midnight. It looks like being consistent when you’re running on fumes. It also means finding peace in the middle of a test you didn’t ask for.

Parenting reveals truths similar to those in high-level leadership. These include prioritizing progress over perfection. They also emphasize persistence over talent and presence over control.

Reading from a journal entry where it was filled up with late-night notes and messy moments. But within the chaos, leadership lessons kept surfacing. Lessons that apply whether you’re leading a company, a team, or a family.

1. Progress Over Perfection (Pillar: REALIZE)

My oldest daughter was practicing her words. My youngest with her endearing laughter during bath time. A failed “day in the life” video at Walmart.

None of it was perfect. But every one of those moments reflected progress.

As leaders, we want things polished and precise. But perfection slows you down. Progress keeps you moving. The REAL Reflection Cycle reminds us: Recognize – Evaluate – Adjust – Launch. We don’t need flawless. We need forward.

👉 Takeaway: Stop chasing perfection in your leadership. Ask instead: What progress did I (or my team) make today?

2. Your Week Is Made by How You Spend Your Weekend (Pillar: PRIORITIZE)

Weekends are more than “days off.” They’re the reset button for clarity and energy.

For me, it’s mentoring calls, meals with the girls, and sometimes just Chick-fil-A and laughter. Those moments set the tone for how I show up on Monday.

Leaders who neglect intentional rest often pay for it in decreased productivity and poor decision-making. The Decision Filter Framework helps here—separating urgent vs. important. Make space for what’s truly important.

👉 Takeaway: Be intentional about how you recharge. The way you prioritize your weekend often predicts the quality of your week.

3. Leadership Is About the Journey (Pillar: VISUALIZE)

Midnight wake-ups, broken appliances, therapy cancellations—it all felt like a test. But here’s the truth: you never “arrive” as a leader. You keep defining, designing, deciding, and doing.

That’s vision mapping. It’s about living with intentionality in the process, not just the destination.

👉 Takeaway: Your leadership legacy isn’t one big win. It’s the collection of small, intentional choices you make daily.

4. Consistency Beats Being the Smartest (Pillar: ORGANIZE)

I can’t always control being the wisest guy in the room, but I can control my consistency.

Consistency is the quiet driver of progress. It’s the leader who shows up daily, organizes their priorities, and performs the basics well. That’s the OPP Model: Organize – Plan – Perform.

👉 Takeaway: Be the leader your people can count on, even if you don’t have all the answers.

Conclusion

The past week reminded me that leadership isn’t about polished control—it’s about messy persistence. It’s choosing progress over perfection, connection over command, consistency over cleverness.

And maybe most importantly: it’s remembering that we never truly “arrive.” Leadership is the journey.

If you’re a high-performing leader, parentpreneur, or executive looking to align your actions with your vision, I built a free tool for you: The Intentional Leader Roadmap. It’s the exact framework I use to stay aligned when life feels chaotic.

👉 Call to Action: Download the roadmap, and let’s grow together.

Interactive Poll

Question: How do you usually measure a successful week

⭐ Progress made, even if it’s small

😊 Quality time with family/team

🚀 Big wins and results achieved