LeadtheGame
@leadthegame.substack.com
❤️🔥 Igniting Self-Led Careers
🏆 Lead Your Career Game
🏈 Career & Leadership Coaching, Playbooks, & Results
🎯 Legacy Isn’t Later. It Starts Now.
🏆 Lead Your Career Game
🏈 Career & Leadership Coaching, Playbooks, & Results
🎯 Legacy Isn’t Later. It Starts Now.
You might not need a new career.
You might just need a clearer way to lead yourself
inside the one you already have.
You might just need a clearer way to lead yourself
inside the one you already have.
January 24, 2026 at 8:05 PM
You might not need a new career.
You might just need a clearer way to lead yourself
inside the one you already have.
You might just need a clearer way to lead yourself
inside the one you already have.
You don’t have to carry your entire career into every interview answer.
It’s okay to be deliberate.
That’s not playing small.
That’s leadership.
It’s okay to be deliberate.
That’s not playing small.
That’s leadership.
January 23, 2026 at 7:27 PM
You don’t have to carry your entire career into every interview answer.
It’s okay to be deliberate.
That’s not playing small.
That’s leadership.
It’s okay to be deliberate.
That’s not playing small.
That’s leadership.
Many mid-career professionals leave interviews thinking,
“That went fine,”
and still feel oddly unseen.
You’re not the only one having that experience.
“That went fine,”
and still feel oddly unseen.
You’re not the only one having that experience.
January 20, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Many mid-career professionals leave interviews thinking,
“That went fine,”
and still feel oddly unseen.
You’re not the only one having that experience.
“That went fine,”
and still feel oddly unseen.
You’re not the only one having that experience.
Mid-career interviews rarely test capability.
They test judgment.
And judgment only shows up
when you decide what to leave out.
They test judgment.
And judgment only shows up
when you decide what to leave out.
January 19, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Mid-career interviews rarely test capability.
They test judgment.
And judgment only shows up
when you decide what to leave out.
They test judgment.
And judgment only shows up
when you decide what to leave out.
The most sustainable career moves
start with internal alignment,
not external pressure.
Self-leadership changes the pace
and the outcome.
start with internal alignment,
not external pressure.
Self-leadership changes the pace
and the outcome.
January 18, 2026 at 5:51 PM
The most sustainable career moves
start with internal alignment,
not external pressure.
Self-leadership changes the pace
and the outcome.
start with internal alignment,
not external pressure.
Self-leadership changes the pace
and the outcome.
Mid-career progress rarely comes from doing more.
It comes from leading yourself
out of frameworks
you quietly outgrew.
It comes from leading yourself
out of frameworks
you quietly outgrew.
January 17, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Mid-career progress rarely comes from doing more.
It comes from leading yourself
out of frameworks
you quietly outgrew.
It comes from leading yourself
out of frameworks
you quietly outgrew.
You can be deeply competent
and still feel unseen.
That doesn’t mean you failed to advocate for yourself.
It often means you’ve been carrying more
than your story reflects.
and still feel unseen.
That doesn’t mean you failed to advocate for yourself.
It often means you’ve been carrying more
than your story reflects.
January 16, 2026 at 6:07 PM
You can be deeply competent
and still feel unseen.
That doesn’t mean you failed to advocate for yourself.
It often means you’ve been carrying more
than your story reflects.
and still feel unseen.
That doesn’t mean you failed to advocate for yourself.
It often means you’ve been carrying more
than your story reflects.
It’s okay if your resume feels outdated
even though your experience isn’t.
Growth often shows up first as misalignment.
That's not failure.
Just a sign it's time for your story to catch up.
even though your experience isn’t.
Growth often shows up first as misalignment.
That's not failure.
Just a sign it's time for your story to catch up.
January 15, 2026 at 2:31 PM
It’s okay if your resume feels outdated
even though your experience isn’t.
Growth often shows up first as misalignment.
That's not failure.
Just a sign it's time for your story to catch up.
even though your experience isn’t.
Growth often shows up first as misalignment.
That's not failure.
Just a sign it's time for your story to catch up.
Mid-career resume insight:
Leaders don’t lead with what they did.
They lead with what was at stake.
Same experience.
Very different read.
Leaders don’t lead with what they did.
They lead with what was at stake.
Same experience.
Very different read.
January 14, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Mid-career resume insight:
Leaders don’t lead with what they did.
They lead with what was at stake.
Same experience.
Very different read.
Leaders don’t lead with what they did.
They lead with what was at stake.
Same experience.
Very different read.
A quiet mid-career truth:
Most people aren’t stuck because they lack ability.
They’re stuck because the language they’re using
no longer matches the responsibility they carry.
That gap is lonely — and more common than it looks.
Most people aren’t stuck because they lack ability.
They’re stuck because the language they’re using
no longer matches the responsibility they carry.
That gap is lonely — and more common than it looks.
January 13, 2026 at 7:24 PM
A quiet mid-career truth:
Most people aren’t stuck because they lack ability.
They’re stuck because the language they’re using
no longer matches the responsibility they carry.
That gap is lonely — and more common than it looks.
Most people aren’t stuck because they lack ability.
They’re stuck because the language they’re using
no longer matches the responsibility they carry.
That gap is lonely — and more common than it looks.
Self-leadership isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about choosing targets
that actually deserves your effort.
It’s about choosing targets
that actually deserves your effort.
January 11, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Self-leadership isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about choosing targets
that actually deserves your effort.
It’s about choosing targets
that actually deserves your effort.
You can be capable, responsible,
and still mis-aimed.
That combination is more common
than most people admit.
and still mis-aimed.
That combination is more common
than most people admit.
January 10, 2026 at 4:17 PM
You can be capable, responsible,
and still mis-aimed.
That combination is more common
than most people admit.
and still mis-aimed.
That combination is more common
than most people admit.
If a job search feels exhausting,
ask where decisions are getting stuck.
Stuck decisions usually point
to a fuzzy target upstream.
ask where decisions are getting stuck.
Stuck decisions usually point
to a fuzzy target upstream.
January 9, 2026 at 8:15 PM
If a job search feels exhausting,
ask where decisions are getting stuck.
Stuck decisions usually point
to a fuzzy target upstream.
ask where decisions are getting stuck.
Stuck decisions usually point
to a fuzzy target upstream.
Most people don’t need more job search advice.
They need fewer actions
that actually relate
to the role they want next.
They need fewer actions
that actually relate
to the role they want next.
January 8, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Most people don’t need more job search advice.
They need fewer actions
that actually relate
to the role they want next.
They need fewer actions
that actually relate
to the role they want next.
Being busy in a job search
is not the same as being directional.
One feels active.
The other feels steady.
Pay attention to the difference.
is not the same as being directional.
One feels active.
The other feels steady.
Pay attention to the difference.
January 7, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Being busy in a job search
is not the same as being directional.
One feels active.
The other feels steady.
Pay attention to the difference.
is not the same as being directional.
One feels active.
The other feels steady.
Pay attention to the difference.
If every job search tactic sounds plausible,
it usually means the target isn’t defined yet.
Clarity narrows.
Vagueness multiplies options
and drains energy.
it usually means the target isn’t defined yet.
Clarity narrows.
Vagueness multiplies options
and drains energy.
January 6, 2026 at 5:22 PM
If every job search tactic sounds plausible,
it usually means the target isn’t defined yet.
Clarity narrows.
Vagueness multiplies options
and drains energy.
it usually means the target isn’t defined yet.
Clarity narrows.
Vagueness multiplies options
and drains energy.
Mid-career job searches get heavy
when strategy is built
before the target is clear.
Effort doesn’t disappear.
It just stops compounding.
That’s a different problem.
when strategy is built
before the target is clear.
Effort doesn’t disappear.
It just stops compounding.
That’s a different problem.
January 5, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Mid-career job searches get heavy
when strategy is built
before the target is clear.
Effort doesn’t disappear.
It just stops compounding.
That’s a different problem.
when strategy is built
before the target is clear.
Effort doesn’t disappear.
It just stops compounding.
That’s a different problem.
I don't know about you, but at mid-career,
I don't feel the need for bigger goals.
I want goals that fit —
My values, energy, and real life.
The messy middle is for alignment.
That's what propels you forward.
I don't feel the need for bigger goals.
I want goals that fit —
My values, energy, and real life.
The messy middle is for alignment.
That's what propels you forward.
January 4, 2026 at 6:44 PM
I don't know about you, but at mid-career,
I don't feel the need for bigger goals.
I want goals that fit —
My values, energy, and real life.
The messy middle is for alignment.
That's what propels you forward.
I don't feel the need for bigger goals.
I want goals that fit —
My values, energy, and real life.
The messy middle is for alignment.
That's what propels you forward.
Waiting for permission
is still outsourcing your career.
Leaders choose direction
before conditions are perfect.
is still outsourcing your career.
Leaders choose direction
before conditions are perfect.
January 3, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Waiting for permission
is still outsourcing your career.
Leaders choose direction
before conditions are perfect.
is still outsourcing your career.
Leaders choose direction
before conditions are perfect.
Self-leadership is deciding
who you’re becoming
before the world decides for you.
who you’re becoming
before the world decides for you.
January 2, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Self-leadership is deciding
who you’re becoming
before the world decides for you.
who you’re becoming
before the world decides for you.
You don’t need a ton of confidence.
You need a direction you’re willing to practice daily.
You need a direction you’re willing to practice daily.
January 1, 2026 at 6:05 PM
You don’t need a ton of confidence.
You need a direction you’re willing to practice daily.
You need a direction you’re willing to practice daily.
If your goals don’t make you feel
more like yourself,
they’ll slowly make you feel
less alive.
more like yourself,
they’ll slowly make you feel
less alive.
December 30, 2025 at 1:59 PM
If your goals don’t make you feel
more like yourself,
they’ll slowly make you feel
less alive.
more like yourself,
they’ll slowly make you feel
less alive.
The problem isn’t that you don’t know what you want.
It’s that you keep turning vague discomfort into goals that say
“make this stop”
instead of
“build this next.”
It’s that you keep turning vague discomfort into goals that say
“make this stop”
instead of
“build this next.”
December 29, 2025 at 8:34 PM
The problem isn’t that you don’t know what you want.
It’s that you keep turning vague discomfort into goals that say
“make this stop”
instead of
“build this next.”
It’s that you keep turning vague discomfort into goals that say
“make this stop”
instead of
“build this next.”
Self-leadership isn’t about control.
It’s about understanding
what helps you show up well
and honoring that.
It’s about understanding
what helps you show up well
and honoring that.
December 28, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Self-leadership isn’t about control.
It’s about understanding
what helps you show up well
and honoring that.
It’s about understanding
what helps you show up well
and honoring that.
Clarity often doesn’t show up as excitement.
Sometimes the most powerful moments are soft realizations:
“Oh… that makes sense.”
Sometimes the most powerful moments are soft realizations:
“Oh… that makes sense.”
December 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Clarity often doesn’t show up as excitement.
Sometimes the most powerful moments are soft realizations:
“Oh… that makes sense.”
Sometimes the most powerful moments are soft realizations:
“Oh… that makes sense.”