The Leadership Investor - issue #2

Hello, and welcome to issue #2 of this newsletter! As I wrote in last week’s inaugural, you received this because you have heard me speak, we’ve worked together (through coaching or training), or you received the link from someone special in your life and thought, “Yes! I need another newsletter! Especially one written by a snarky redhead!”

However we found each other, I’m delighted you’re here.

I was recently asked to bottom-line summarize the workforce of 2026. Here was my honest response.

Describing the workforce of 2026 is like delivering a single weather report for the entire planet. A tidy summary can’t capture the diverse realities on the ground. But the emotional backdrop is easier to name. This workforce is cautious and self-protective. People are scanning the horizon, trying to stay relevant, and wondering whether they will need an umbrella or sunscreen to navigate whatever comes next.

So what does this mean for leaders charged with directing, motivating, and inspiring this workforce? I keep returning to the basics. Just like you wouldn’t brave a rainstorm without a jacket, you shouldn’t lead without mastering the fundamentals:

The workforce of 2026, and that includes all of us, is carrying a lot. It’s only February, and already 2026 feels like a year of uncertainty and “what on earth is coming next.” People deserve leadership that is steady, thoughtful, and human.

So watch the weather. Dress accordingly. Keep reading for insights on how to lead well in a changing climate. Share this newsletter with other leaders braving the weather of 2026, and contact me directly with suggestions for future issues.

My first book hits shelves everywhere in five weeks. (ACK!) As subscribers you’re receiving sneak peeks into the first few chapters.

And to introduce the book’s preface, I quote Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music: “Let’s start at the very beginning - a very good place to start.”

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
—Popular proverb, often attributed to Confucius

I love developing leaders. I love the moment their mindset shifts (the aha lightbulb). I love seeing leaders find the courage to try something new. A new way of inspiring, delegating, or stretching themselves. I love seeing the ripple effect of better leadership spreading to those being led, which then influences how they lead others.

And I have devoted my career to figuring out this work, or this ideal, that we call leadership.

Leadership is often framed as burden, sacrifice, or obligation. And yes, it can be heavy. But if we lose sight of the joy and meaning in the work, it becomes transactional fast. Resentment creeps in and cynicism isn’t far behind.

Leadership is a choice and a commitment. We may not love every conversation or every challenge, but we have a responsibility to appreciate and respect the role with which we’ve been entrusted. And, when, however, and as often as we can, fall in love with leadership.

A mentor once told me we have three options at work:

There is a fourth option: staying grumpy, frustrated, and disengaged. But that option is costly. To our teams, to our organizations, and to ourselves.

So this opening is a reminder. Before tools, frameworks, or strategy, leadership is a decision. That choice is where everything else begins.

Last week I facilitated the DiSC assessment (a behavioral assessment tool based on a century of research) with a fabulous consumer goods organization.

Leadership requires self-awareness - what motivates us, how others perceive us, our go-to ways of communicating and contemplating and collaborating. With self-awareness comes self-empowerment - to dial up and dial down those go-to behaviors to meet others where they are.

Three insights that emerged from my session:

I could talk about DiSC all day - drop me a note to continue the conversation.

As I wrote last time (and as you’ll get to know about me), I use all the tools in my toolbox - the mundane and the magical, the practical and the poetic. That means I integrate corporate and consulting expertise with my work as a professional tarot card reader, student of astrology, and believer in synchronicity and manifestation.

Here’s what’s bubbling in the cosmos this week.

Mercury has just entered the sign of Pisces. Translation for non-astrologers: thinking, communication, and decision making become less linear and more aspirational, creative, and imaginative. The result is productive tension between clarity and ambiguity.

This is not a week for micromanaging language or forcing certainty. It is a moment to listen between the lines, tell better stories, and let intuition inform strategy.

To explore this energy, I turned to my tarot cards, a centuries-old resource for harnessing intuition.

How can I harness my imagination and creativity as a leader right now?
Card: Queen of Wands

Creativity starts inside. Lead from what genuinely energizes you. When your curiosity, conviction, and confidence are visible, others feel it. Trust yourself.

What will I gain if I lean into imagination and creativity now?
Card: The Magician

Imagination unlocks agency. You already have the tools. When you trust your ideas enough to act on them, momentum follows. Creativity fuels big and bold execution.

Bottom line: Mercury in Pisces invites imagination, the Queen of Wands says trust what fuels you, and the Magician says use it.

That is leadership that feels human and still gets things done.

I’ll close each issue with three things to carry forward. Because the most important leadership investment is you. And like any smart investor, you don’t need to do everything. You just need to do the right things, consistently.

Let’s return to the challenge of Mercury going into Pisces. Ask yourself:

Until next time,

Tina