We've been talking about soft skills for 20 years. But it took AI to finally make the business case. When analytical and transactional work gets commoditized, what's left is the uniquely human stuff: trust, judgment, the ability to move people and ideas forward through genuine connection. We're starting to call it relational capital. And there's a reason the language is shifting.

In my last post, “Professional Maturity is Making a Quiet Exit…Should We Be Worried?” I looked at how professional maturity has quietly slipped from our culture. In this piece, I offer practical ways to bring it back in ourselves, in our teams, and across our organizations by strengthening the core qualities that make leadership steady, clear, and human again.

We’ve told people to “bring your whole self to work.” We’ve also asked leaders to stay grounded when things get messy. What happens when these ideas collide? This piece explores the quiet erosion of professional maturity and how discernment, feedback, and clear boundaries can help us stay human while leading with strength.

I grew up with “fake it until you make it.” Today’s rising leaders are told to “be your authentic self.” But what if growth isn’t about choosing one over the other — and instead, it’s about learning how to stretch into something new while staying rooted in who you are? This piece explores the tension between performing and becoming — and how resilience, adaptability, and self-trust are built in that stretch.

In this article, my colleague @sethweisman and I write about the mainstream acceptance of coaching and how you can ensure that when you start thinking about working with a coach, you make an informed decision on which coach to choose.

We all know that the words we choose can either empower us or keep us stuck. My good friend and colleague @sethweissman and I have created a framework to illustrate how language is a potent tool that can shape how we think, feel, and act. We examine the journey from the disempowering state of should and need to the more creative, enabling, and empowering words of “want,” “will,” and “am.”

YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT YOUR PARENTS' MISTAKES. HERE'S HOW TO BREAK THROUGH THEM TO FORM HEALTHIER BONDS