I just had an incredible conversation with @Javier Velasquez on his goals as a leader and how he's been leveling up. Javier is committed to becoming more active in the community and more intentional with his engagement, and I’m excited to see what comes from that. We’re proud to have Javier as a member of the Unified Leadership Academy, growing alongside us while also helping us continue to build this incredible community that @Timothy Clay, @Bethany Stone, @Renee Jackson-Smith and I created. This is what community is about. We grow individually, we grow together, and we help each other rise.

Who Gets the Best Version of You? Here is something I want you to pay attention to. Notice how you speak to the person above you. Then notice how you speak to the person who cannot do anything for you. The receptionist. The new employee. The person cleaning the building. The server bringing your lunch. The person who made a mistake that inconvenienced you. I have always believed you can learn quite a bit about someone by watching how they treat people when there is nothing to gain from treating them well. So here is today's challenge. Give the same level of respect, patience and attention to someone who cannot advance your career as you would to someone who could. Then, think about this: Did you treat everyone the same, or did you catch yourself changing depending on who was standing in front of you? That answer may tell you something about your leadership that a title never will.

I've been thinking a lot about specific skills that we need to build our leadership and everything always comes back to us. When we have that intrinsic motivation, that knowledge of who we are, that grounding, and that gratitude, it's easier to go forward and lead with confidence. In this area of skills, let's create a gratitude list. Post something that you are grateful for today and let's see how we can grow in gratitude.

A leader walks past the same problem every day. At first, he notices it. Then he gets used to it. Eventually, he stops seeing it at all. That is how a lot of leadership problems grow. Not because nobody knows they are there. Because everybody learns to walk around them. The uncomfortable conversation. The person who keeps missing the mark. The decision that keeps getting pushed to next week. The standard everyone knows has slipped. At some point, leadership means you stop walking past it. So here is my question for you today: What have you gotten used to that you should have dealt with already?

Before you continue, I want you to think about where you are as a leader today. What is the one area of your leadership you most want to strengthen right now, and why? Be specific. Your answer does not need to be long. There is no right answer here. What matters is that you are honest about where you are today. This gives you a starting point you can come back to later and see what has changed Put your answer in the comments below.