Stephanie Muxfeld
@stephaniemuxfeld.bsky.social
Cutting through noise with clarity, story, and systems thinking.
Exploring how teams actually work—and why they diverge.
Author of The Observatory newsletter on LinkedIn.
Stephanie shares her perspective on LinkedIn, Medium, and Bluesky.
Exploring how teams actually work—and why they diverge.
Author of The Observatory newsletter on LinkedIn.
Stephanie shares her perspective on LinkedIn, Medium, and Bluesky.
The most noticeable people in a system are often the least settled. Speed can be a substitute for self-trust.
January 19, 2026 at 2:01 PM
The most noticeable people in a system are often the least settled. Speed can be a substitute for self-trust.
A lot of early January motion isn’t confidence.
It’s discomfort management.
And that’s worth noticing before you build on it.
It’s discomfort management.
And that’s worth noticing before you build on it.
January 16, 2026 at 12:30 PM
A lot of early January motion isn’t confidence.
It’s discomfort management.
And that’s worth noticing before you build on it.
It’s discomfort management.
And that’s worth noticing before you build on it.
You’re allowed to know where you are
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
January 15, 2026 at 3:34 PM
You’re allowed to know where you are
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
You’re allowed to know where you are
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
January 12, 2026 at 3:48 PM
You’re allowed to know where you are
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
before deciding where you’re going.
That’s not hesitation.
That’s orientation.
Clarity compounds.
Rushing resets it.
Rushing resets it.
January 8, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Clarity compounds.
Rushing resets it.
Rushing resets it.
Momentum without orientation is just motion.
January 6, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Momentum without orientation is just motion.
January artificially rewards decisiveness.
It does not reward clarity.
Let's change that this year.
It does not reward clarity.
Let's change that this year.
January 5, 2026 at 12:30 PM
January artificially rewards decisiveness.
It does not reward clarity.
Let's change that this year.
It does not reward clarity.
Let's change that this year.
AI didn’t fragment organizations—it just exposed the fractures.
One company, four realities: climbers, optimizers, resistors, over-adopters.
The danger isn’t different speeds.
It’s drifting into different realities.
Who else is noticing this?
One company, four realities: climbers, optimizers, resistors, over-adopters.
The danger isn’t different speeds.
It’s drifting into different realities.
Who else is noticing this?
December 15, 2025 at 12:45 PM
AI didn’t fragment organizations—it just exposed the fractures.
One company, four realities: climbers, optimizers, resistors, over-adopters.
The danger isn’t different speeds.
It’s drifting into different realities.
Who else is noticing this?
One company, four realities: climbers, optimizers, resistors, over-adopters.
The danger isn’t different speeds.
It’s drifting into different realities.
Who else is noticing this?
Companies keep trying to “align” everyone.
But inside the walls, most teams aren’t in the same climate.
- Some sprint.
- Some resist.
- Some over-adopt.
- Some wait.
The question isn’t “How do we make everyone match?”
It’s: How do we lead multiple futures at once?
#Change #AI #Leadership
But inside the walls, most teams aren’t in the same climate.
- Some sprint.
- Some resist.
- Some over-adopt.
- Some wait.
The question isn’t “How do we make everyone match?”
It’s: How do we lead multiple futures at once?
#Change #AI #Leadership
December 8, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Companies keep trying to “align” everyone.
But inside the walls, most teams aren’t in the same climate.
- Some sprint.
- Some resist.
- Some over-adopt.
- Some wait.
The question isn’t “How do we make everyone match?”
It’s: How do we lead multiple futures at once?
#Change #AI #Leadership
But inside the walls, most teams aren’t in the same climate.
- Some sprint.
- Some resist.
- Some over-adopt.
- Some wait.
The question isn’t “How do we make everyone match?”
It’s: How do we lead multiple futures at once?
#Change #AI #Leadership
The strongest leaders aren’t louder.
They’re clearer.
When your narrative is strong, people pull themselves toward it.
That’s leadership by gravity.
They’re clearer.
When your narrative is strong, people pull themselves toward it.
That’s leadership by gravity.
December 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The strongest leaders aren’t louder.
They’re clearer.
When your narrative is strong, people pull themselves toward it.
That’s leadership by gravity.
They’re clearer.
When your narrative is strong, people pull themselves toward it.
That’s leadership by gravity.
You don’t scale by giving more orders.
You scale by creating conditions people want to align with.
Narrative and coherence > pressure and control.
You scale by creating conditions people want to align with.
Narrative and coherence > pressure and control.
December 1, 2025 at 12:00 PM
You don’t scale by giving more orders.
You scale by creating conditions people want to align with.
Narrative and coherence > pressure and control.
You scale by creating conditions people want to align with.
Narrative and coherence > pressure and control.
Force creates movement.
Gravity creates loyalty.
Most leaders push harder when things get messy.
The smart ones get clearer.
Gravity > force.
Gravity creates loyalty.
Most leaders push harder when things get messy.
The smart ones get clearer.
Gravity > force.
November 25, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Force creates movement.
Gravity creates loyalty.
Most leaders push harder when things get messy.
The smart ones get clearer.
Gravity > force.
Gravity creates loyalty.
Most leaders push harder when things get messy.
The smart ones get clearer.
Gravity > force.
Fast ≠ right.
Sometimes the smartest move is to slow the loop and verify the truth.
My new essay explores how AI and organizations both get stuck trusting their own outputs.
🔗 in comments.
Sometimes the smartest move is to slow the loop and verify the truth.
My new essay explores how AI and organizations both get stuck trusting their own outputs.
🔗 in comments.
November 6, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Fast ≠ right.
Sometimes the smartest move is to slow the loop and verify the truth.
My new essay explores how AI and organizations both get stuck trusting their own outputs.
🔗 in comments.
Sometimes the smartest move is to slow the loop and verify the truth.
My new essay explores how AI and organizations both get stuck trusting their own outputs.
🔗 in comments.
When systems start believing themselves, confidence becomes a liability.
New Observatory drop: The Trusting Trust Problem.
It’s about loops, bias, and how to rebuild integrity at the architectural level. 🔗 in comments.
New Observatory drop: The Trusting Trust Problem.
It’s about loops, bias, and how to rebuild integrity at the architectural level. 🔗 in comments.
October 29, 2025 at 10:01 PM
When systems start believing themselves, confidence becomes a liability.
New Observatory drop: The Trusting Trust Problem.
It’s about loops, bias, and how to rebuild integrity at the architectural level. 🔗 in comments.
New Observatory drop: The Trusting Trust Problem.
It’s about loops, bias, and how to rebuild integrity at the architectural level. 🔗 in comments.
The most dangerous systems aren’t the ones that fail. They’re the ones that keep working—just in the wrong direction.
New Observatory essay on the “trusting trust” problem in AI and leadership. 🔗 in comments.
New Observatory essay on the “trusting trust” problem in AI and leadership. 🔗 in comments.
October 27, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The most dangerous systems aren’t the ones that fail. They’re the ones that keep working—just in the wrong direction.
New Observatory essay on the “trusting trust” problem in AI and leadership. 🔗 in comments.
New Observatory essay on the “trusting trust” problem in AI and leadership. 🔗 in comments.
Five days in silence taught me something I can’t unsee:
Talking is expensive.
Not in time, but in energy.
And most of us are overspending.
🪶 Read The Economy of Silence — now live on LinkedIn & Medium. Links in comments.
Talking is expensive.
Not in time, but in energy.
And most of us are overspending.
🪶 Read The Economy of Silence — now live on LinkedIn & Medium. Links in comments.
October 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Five days in silence taught me something I can’t unsee:
Talking is expensive.
Not in time, but in energy.
And most of us are overspending.
🪶 Read The Economy of Silence — now live on LinkedIn & Medium. Links in comments.
Talking is expensive.
Not in time, but in energy.
And most of us are overspending.
🪶 Read The Economy of Silence — now live on LinkedIn & Medium. Links in comments.
Confusion kills adoption.
Clarity makes it inevitable.
That’s why Apple said: “There’s an app for that.”
👉 I break it down in Edition 03 of The Observatory. Links in comments.
Clarity makes it inevitable.
That’s why Apple said: “There’s an app for that.”
👉 I break it down in Edition 03 of The Observatory. Links in comments.
October 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Confusion kills adoption.
Clarity makes it inevitable.
That’s why Apple said: “There’s an app for that.”
👉 I break it down in Edition 03 of The Observatory. Links in comments.
Clarity makes it inevitable.
That’s why Apple said: “There’s an app for that.”
👉 I break it down in Edition 03 of The Observatory. Links in comments.
The edge sparks disruption.
The middle decides its destiny.
The middle decides its destiny.
October 8, 2025 at 12:00 AM
The edge sparks disruption.
The middle decides its destiny.
The middle decides its destiny.
Adoption isn’t just about utility anymore.
It’s about identity.
Patagonia. Slack. Notion.
Tools as tribe signals.
👉 More in my latest newsletter, available on LInkedIn or Medium. Links in comments.
It’s about identity.
Patagonia. Slack. Notion.
Tools as tribe signals.
👉 More in my latest newsletter, available on LInkedIn or Medium. Links in comments.
October 3, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Adoption isn’t just about utility anymore.
It’s about identity.
Patagonia. Slack. Notion.
Tools as tribe signals.
👉 More in my latest newsletter, available on LInkedIn or Medium. Links in comments.
It’s about identity.
Patagonia. Slack. Notion.
Tools as tribe signals.
👉 More in my latest newsletter, available on LInkedIn or Medium. Links in comments.
Markets don’t tip at the edges.
They tip in the middle.
And today, that middle is fractured.
They tip in the middle.
And today, that middle is fractured.
October 1, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Markets don’t tip at the edges.
They tip in the middle.
And today, that middle is fractured.
They tip in the middle.
And today, that middle is fractured.
Gen Z careers. SaaS pricing. Netflix passwords.
Different stories, same signal: defaults don’t hold anymore.
Dive deeper by subscribing to The Observatory newsletter: The Decline of the Default drops on Monday— links in first comment.
Different stories, same signal: defaults don’t hold anymore.
Dive deeper by subscribing to The Observatory newsletter: The Decline of the Default drops on Monday— links in first comment.
September 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Gen Z careers. SaaS pricing. Netflix passwords.
Different stories, same signal: defaults don’t hold anymore.
Dive deeper by subscribing to The Observatory newsletter: The Decline of the Default drops on Monday— links in first comment.
Different stories, same signal: defaults don’t hold anymore.
Dive deeper by subscribing to The Observatory newsletter: The Decline of the Default drops on Monday— links in first comment.
The age of the default choice is ending.
People are opting out of ladders, lock-ins, and feeds.
➡️ Full essay drops on Monday: The Decline of the Default; subscribe on LinkedIn or Medium, links in first comment.
People are opting out of ladders, lock-ins, and feeds.
➡️ Full essay drops on Monday: The Decline of the Default; subscribe on LinkedIn or Medium, links in first comment.
September 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM
The age of the default choice is ending.
People are opting out of ladders, lock-ins, and feeds.
➡️ Full essay drops on Monday: The Decline of the Default; subscribe on LinkedIn or Medium, links in first comment.
People are opting out of ladders, lock-ins, and feeds.
➡️ Full essay drops on Monday: The Decline of the Default; subscribe on LinkedIn or Medium, links in first comment.
Quick Trust Audit for leaders:
1. Who am I as a decision-maker?
2. Where am I leaking trust?
3. What’s one decision I can own fully this week?
Trust yourself enough to decide before the room nods.
1. Who am I as a decision-maker?
2. Where am I leaking trust?
3. What’s one decision I can own fully this week?
Trust yourself enough to decide before the room nods.
August 29, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Quick Trust Audit for leaders:
1. Who am I as a decision-maker?
2. Where am I leaking trust?
3. What’s one decision I can own fully this week?
Trust yourself enough to decide before the room nods.
1. Who am I as a decision-maker?
2. Where am I leaking trust?
3. What’s one decision I can own fully this week?
Trust yourself enough to decide before the room nods.
I turned down a “perfect” deal once. My gut said no.
A competitor took it.
They lost staff + credibility.
Sometimes the bravest revenue decision is saying no.
Self-trust isn’t reckless. It’s strategic.
Full article here: www.stephaniemuxfeld.com/the-observatory/2025/8/24/strategic-trust1
A competitor took it.
They lost staff + credibility.
Sometimes the bravest revenue decision is saying no.
Self-trust isn’t reckless. It’s strategic.
Full article here: www.stephaniemuxfeld.com/the-observatory/2025/8/24/strategic-trust1
August 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM
I turned down a “perfect” deal once. My gut said no.
A competitor took it.
They lost staff + credibility.
Sometimes the bravest revenue decision is saying no.
Self-trust isn’t reckless. It’s strategic.
Full article here: www.stephaniemuxfeld.com/the-observatory/2025/8/24/strategic-trust1
A competitor took it.
They lost staff + credibility.
Sometimes the bravest revenue decision is saying no.
Self-trust isn’t reckless. It’s strategic.
Full article here: www.stephaniemuxfeld.com/the-observatory/2025/8/24/strategic-trust1
Waiting for consensus feels safe. But it’s actually hesitation in disguise.
👉 Leadership is clarity in motion, not group permission.
Where are you waiting for nods you don’t need?
👉 Leadership is clarity in motion, not group permission.
Where are you waiting for nods you don’t need?
August 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Waiting for consensus feels safe. But it’s actually hesitation in disguise.
👉 Leadership is clarity in motion, not group permission.
Where are you waiting for nods you don’t need?
👉 Leadership is clarity in motion, not group permission.
Where are you waiting for nods you don’t need?