Ever notice how some things only line up almost right?
A plug that doesn’t quite fit the outlet. A jacket that mostly zips. A plan that technically works — until someone actually tries to use it. That’s the tension I’ve been thinking about lately: when something looks solid in theory but falls apart in practice. Whether it’s leadership roles or life rhythms, alignment matters. And often, it’s the smallest adjustments that make the biggest difference.
LEADERSHIP: When the Role and the Person Don’t Match
Most org charts look great on paper. They’re clean, logical, and role-based. But when real-life decisions need to happen — especially in urgent moments or just to keep the ship running — it’s not the boxes and titles that matter. It’s whether the person in that role can actually deliver what the moment requires. And that’s where things get tricky.
Maybe you’ve seen this play out. The person couldn’t make the call, manage the tension, or move the team forward.
Here’s a scenario — maybe it sounds familiar:
A team was reviewing their emergency operations plan for the first time in years and realized just how much their decision tree depended on individual people, not the roles themselves.
The first person listed in their triage chain was the most senior leader. On paper, it made sense. But in practice, she wasn’t always decisive or level-headed when quick, confident leadership was needed.
Next came the director of communications — a much better fit. She was calm under pressure, clear in her messaging, and could move things forward.
Third was a director of strategy, even though their actual work focused more on development than daily operations.
Surprisingly, the HR leader didn’t even make the top three. Not because of the title, but because the team quietly recognized he was scattered and struggled with making difficult decisions under pressure.
Here’s the leadership tension:
In a perfect world, roles dictate responsibilities, and the people in those roles come with the right skills. But in reality, people inherit roles, get promoted, or are hired — and the actual competencies don’t always match what’s needed.
So what do you do when the org chart says one thing, but your instincts — and the team’s lived experience — say another?
This is where leadership gets nuanced. It’s easy to say, “Let’s be role-dependent, not person-dependent.” But when someone’s already in the seat — and unlikely to move anytime soon — you’re managing risk, personalities, and perception all at once.
Great leaders don’t ignore misalignment. They navigate it with clear-eyed awareness, honest but kind conversations, and strong backup plans. Because sometimes the smartest move isn’t to reshuffle roles — it’s to quietly empower the right people with the informal authority and support to step in when it counts.
And whenever possible, hiring and developing to match the actual title, work, and skill set.
Try this with your team:
Ask: Are we relying on titles or actual capability? And do our current plans reflect what would really work — not just in a crisis, but in our everyday workflow?
LIFE: What’s Your Version of Normal?
On a recent trip to Las Vegas — part work, part play (shoutout to Speaker Exchange Agency for making it happen) — I carved out a little time to sit by the pool. Sometimes 30 minutes in the sunshine does more for the soul than a whole to-do list.
As I sat there people-watching and chatting with those around me, I struck up a conversation with a family from South London — mom, dad, and two daughters splashing nearby. The dad smiled and said they were loving the 107-degree heat because, as he put it, “We never get this kind of weather back home.” I had to laugh. I was enjoying the heat too — mostly because it wasn’t paired with 90% Midwest humidity.
That moment reminded me how wildly different our “normals” can be. One of my favorite things is learning how people live — daily routines, commute styles, vacation rhythms. The more I listen, the more I realize there’s no one right way to build a life.
The family shared they were spending nearly a month in the U.S. — two weeks in L.A., now in Vegas. When I asked if this was a holiday, they explained they run a business in the fashion industry and intentionally design their schedule to allow for extended travel.
It was such a refreshing reminder that work and play don’t always have to be separate — and that freedom often comes not from luck, but from the choices we make on purpose (or the pivots we make).
It also made me think about how even small shifts in our day — like 30 minutes in the sun — can change how we feel. Maybe we won’t all be redesigning our lives to travel halfway across the world, but maybe we can tweak our version of “normal” just a bit.
So… what’s your version of normal?
And more importantly — do you enJOY it?
I’m already dreaming, researching, and planning the next adventure. Are you?