Since announcing the leadership update at Devon back in May, a lot of folks have been reaching out asking me how I’m doing in my new role. Their questions vary from sincere inquiry to slight prodding. Truth be told, there isn’t much of a difference, day-to-day, other than I receive a lot more LinkedIn requests from financial planners and advisors, executive coaches, job seekers, and the like. Oh, and basically everyone wants to set up a call, so I’m on Zoom pretty much constantly. And if you know me in real life, you know I have strong feelings about video conferencing (probably best summarized by the two years my camera was conveniently “broken”).
But it has led me to think about the concept of leadership more. So when a podcast host recently asked me how I decided on my leadership style, the question stuck with me. At the time, I took a “Horrible Bosses” approach and talked about doing the opposite of what was modeled to me early on in my career. Except that’s really only one tiny part of the equation. Yes, the story I told is part of my lore, because our workplace traumas stick with us, even years later (a topic for another day). Still, when it comes to embracing one’s position as a leader, the field of study runs deep, and lately, I’m musing on the idea of sails and anchors.
See, in addition to leading a team, I also encounter hundreds, if not thousands, of leaders a year. Some of my clients. Some are their clients. Some I report to directly. Some are the bosses of the folks I report to directly. Some are CEOs. Others run product. Finance. HR. Legal. Ops. You name it, and we are interfacing. I conduct my own form of leadership studies every day. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that, if there’s ever an apt metaphor to drop in business, it’s probably nautical.
Anchors and sails is not a new concept, rather, it offers a relatively simple approach for breaking down the most basic organizational leadership needs at a high level. Sails provide agility; anchors deliver stability. The former is the vision and drive that helps companies grow and scale. The latter relates to the ethics, values, and principles that keep organizations grounded. There are positive and negative attributes of both - sails sometimes get caught up in a wind and start to drift, while anchors stay stuck.
From my own experience, in larger organizations, you will tend to find leaders who are one or the other. There’s room for that type of thinking. Leaders play off one another. In smaller organizations, leaders have to adapt, switching from anchor to sail and back again, depending on which way the current flows. It’s knowing when to be one versus the other that’s the part most leaders struggle to master, because it’s not something you can learn from a previous boss or even formal training. They say a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor, and I’d argue the same is true of leaders. The magic of anchors and sails is knowing when to leverage, or depending on the organization, embody, each style.
As for me? I am at the wheel charting my course.
Image via uncle_al on Unsplash.
How do I?
Dear Laura,
How would you handle a toxic coworker? I’ve been with my company for a little over a year now, and one of my team members makes everyone’s job harder. They’re arrogant, insensitive, and just difficult to be around. I’ve tried talking to my manager about it, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. I don’t know how much more I can take.
Thanks,
Can’t Take the Toxicity
Dear Can’t Take the Toxicity,
It’s so hard to live in a world where we have to interact with other human beings sometimes! I often think of the comedic images of a person on a deserted island seen in many cartoons, happily away from others and far from their moods and actions. Alas, you likely live in a bustling town with a busy office and interact with all types of people throughout the day; we must keep this isle fantasy at bay! It’s not easy! I want to say that first.
I’ve worked with many a difficult person in my day and know how tricky it is to navigate. One of the best things to consider is what’s within your realm of control and what is not within it. We can’t change someone else’s actions. We can’t soothe or alleviate someone else’s inner demons, and we are up against those a lot during a workday. People with unresolved issues, unexamined psyches, shallow senses of self, fragile egos, projecting communication styles—people who choose blaming/shaming vs. meaningful connection, to name a few. A client once said to me, “If you think of how much unresolved childhood stuff people bring to work, it’s a wonder any of us get along.”
Like any other relationship in your life, let’s focus on what you can control: Your own self. Ensure you are doing your part in your own self-reflection, self-actualization and growth. Maybe it’ll inspire those around you at work. If nothing else, it’ll give you greater strength to handle the interactions with others around you.
As for them, they are on their own journey. You can, if it feels safe to you, open a vulnerable conversation with them to see if you can find some common ground and meaningful connection. You may build a bridge. You may not. We’d like to think all employers are evaluating for arrogant/difficult people during the hiring process, but sadly many are not. Alas, this is something that requires our own internal coping skills (which are always worthy of being strengthened!).
Good luck,
How work is working.
AI Isn’t Killing SaaS. SaaS Is Killing Itself. I wanted to hate this article because it’s based on one example, but quite frankly, it’s a template. I’ve heard some version of this story a dozen different times in recent months. There are, of course, other factors degrading these companies and, in turn, these products, which I could prattle on about endlessly. The TLDR? We’re in a sea of self-sabotage like I’ve never seen before.
I often praise startups for being scrappy and taking chances. Then they go ahead and do things like offer job interviews in exchange for company tattoos, and that completely invalidates my argument. Also, I feel like these stories pop up whenever the market is off, which says a lot about taking advantage of job seekers and decimating any semblance of a candidate experience (not that we ever nailed it anyway).
Reporting on the latest jobs report data, The New York Times says, “U.S. Hiring Slumps Unexpectedly.” Employers cut 23,000 jobs in July, and May and June were revised down by a combined 103,000 jobs. Going back to the headline, though, my question is: who wasn’t expecting this? I would think The Times should, considering the layoffs that decimated some of the remaining alt music publications this week.
ICYMI, from around the space.
In Defense of Employment by Lance Haun of Beacon Turn. A-freaking-men. Remember what I said about self-sabotage a few bullet points ago? This is one of the contributing factors, in my opinion. Institutional knowledge is more important than anyone is giving it credit for right now. Sure, let’s bring in a whole new [insert] team. That will fix everything.
I recently interviewed Chris Havrilla for Up Next @ Work about her frameworks (episode will drop soon!), but she recently published another piece on Consequence Architecture. If you’re implementing AI, building out a governance plan, or thinking about any of this, then you need to read what she’s writing.
Which leads me to another conversation I’m having a lot lately: the response to what I keep calling the “Open Face” breach, especially in the year of the vendor lawsuit. Though opinions on the situation itself remain mixed, there are, to Havrilla’s point, real consequences starting to play out in real time.
HOW opportunities.
Pinnacle Awards for Human Resources - submissions close September 11, 2026
HR Department of the Year Awards - submissions close October 1, 2026
HumanX Conference - call for speakers
And finally, a break.
Reading: After catching an excerpt via WIRED, I’m definitely adding “Don’t Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech” by Claire Stapleton to my reading list.
Watching: On a lighter note, I recently finished “The Five Star Weekend” on Peacock (fun fact: I have read every single Elin Hilderbrand book). It had its moments. And you can’t beat the Nantucket setting.
Listening: The Lemon Twigs. Take your pick of songs or albums. Or better yet, check out their music videos. Gotta love a band that’s keeping a rapidly dying art form alive.
Exploring: I’m mapping out an upcoming trip to the UK, and truth be told, I haven’t been to London in YEARS. Let me know your favorite pub, shop, or must-see location. Open to any and all suggestions.
While many folks think August is a nice slow month, I can’t say the same with fall conference season right around the corner. There are interviews to coordinate, briefings to book, lists to update, and so much more. It’s a good thing that I live near the beach; otherwise, I’d probably never get there. Here’s hoping some of you get to relax these final few weeks of summer.
Until next time.
- Katie
I found the “anchors and sails” idea particularly useful. In operations, there are times when a team needs to move quickly and adapt, but there are also situations where clear processes and consistent principles matter more. Knowing when to push forward and when to provide stability seems like an important part of effective leadership.
I really liked the “sails and anchors” comparison. It made me think about how easy it is to stick to the leadership style that feels most natural, even when the team needs something different. Knowing when to push forward and when to create stability seems like such an important part of leadership.