Here’s a candid moment of my daughter, paintbrush in hand, crafting a rainbow without a worry about what’s perfect or what’s missing. As we sit here at Wrigley Field's Gallagher way, she’s just in the moment, bringing her bright vision to life.
As I watched her, it struck me how much we as leaders could learn from this simple act of finding joy, even if things don’t always turn out the way we plan.
In business, there’s always a storm on the horizon—a project behind schedule, budgets stretched thin, or market changes looming. But instead of getting pulled down by the storm clouds, we have to focus on that bit of brightness we’re working toward, even if it’s just one brushstroke at a time.
Our role as leaders is to see the potential beyond the problems and rally our teams to keep pushing forward. After all, every storm passes, and the brighter our perspective, the clearer our direction becomes.
My daughter didn’t fuss over the color smudges or worry if her rainbow was "perfect." She just enjoyed creating, believing in the beauty that would emerge. A reminder to all of us: adversity is just the canvas. Let’s lean in with creativity, resilience, and, yes, maybe a bit of a mess—because there’s always a bright side if we choose to paint it in.
As an executive, what helps you focus on the "brightness" amidst the storm of our daily challenges?