A winter storm hits. Ice builds up. A massive net at a Topgolf location collapses, forcing the venue to shut down and putting operations at risk. Most organizations would default to one of two options: quietly fix the issue in private, or publish a generic statement and hope the story disappears. Topgolf did something different. And that difference is a masterclass in leadership. In late December 2025, heavy ice and winter weather damaged the 150 foot netting at Topgolf in Auburn Hills, Michigan, resulting in a widely shared clip across social media (FOX 2 Detroit, 2025). The video gained traction quickly, with millions watching the surreal moment the net came down. The incident could have easily become a reputational headache. Instead, it became a leadership moment. Among the millions of viewers was Logan Phillips, a 23 year old construction worker, who jokingly commented under the viral TikTok: “They better have that fixed by January 9th. My work Christmas party is there.” His comment went viral too, earning more than 300,000 likes, and suddenly the internet had a mission: make sure Logan’s party still happens (Burbach, 2026; People, 2026). This is where leadership begins to show itself. Not in the storm. Not in the collapse. But in what happens next.

Leadership is not revealed when decisions are easy. Leadership is revealed when decisions carry consequences and require clarity. Across organizations and institutions of every kind, there are still many quote unquote leaders who hesitate when the moment calls for conviction. Not because they lack competence, but because they are concerned about being disliked. Some leaders avoid pushback at all costs. They soften their stance to maintain approval. They delay action to keep the environment calm. They stay silent when something is clearly wrong because they do not want to trigger conflict with loud, rigid, or extreme personalities. They believe the safest path is to remain neutral, keep everyone satisfied, and move on. But leadership that fears dislike eventually loses what matters most: credibility. Real leadership is not about being universally liked. It is about being responsible, principled, and willing to uphold standards even when a decision is unpopular.

There was a time when cold calls and door-to-door solicitation were considered acceptable ways to introduce a service or start a conversation. Today, those same tactics often trigger hesitation, discomfort, or immediate disengagement. Not because people are closed off, but because awareness has changed. Recent industry research shows that interruption-based outreach methods such as cold calling are producing increasingly low engagement rates, with success rates hovering around two to three percent in many sectors (NFON UK, 2025; Cognism, 2025). At the same time, buyers and consumers show a strong preference for engagement that is voluntary, contextual, and on their own terms. We now live in a hyper-aware environment. People are more alert to their surroundings, more protective of their time, and more intentional about when and how they engage. Awareness is no longer optional. It is a form of self-preservation.

Emotional intelligence has been mistakenly reduced to an image: a calm tone, steady presence, and an unbothered demeanor at all times. In this framing, emotionally intelligent people are expected to be perpetually composed and unaffected. That portrayal is inaccurate and misleading. Emotional intelligence does not require emotional absence. It refers to the ability to accurately perceive emotions, understand what they signal, regulate them effectively, and use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior (Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 2016). The goal is not to suppress emotion. The goal is to work with it skillfully. The real myth: “If I were emotionally intelligent, I would not feel this”One of the most damaging misconceptions about emotional intelligence is the belief that strong emotions indicate a lack of maturity. In reality, emotions are automatic psychological and physiological responses. Emotional intelligence does not prevent anger, hurt, anxiety, or disappointment from arising. It increases the ability to interpret those emotions accurately and respond intentionally.

Clarity has quietly become one of the most powerful leadership skills of our time. Not just charisma. Not just volume. Not just length. Clarity. Accounts like the fairly new Daily Hack Lab account on TikTok demonstrate a communication principle many institutions still struggle to apply. A video posted roughly one day ago reached more than 11.9 million views and 1.5 million likes by explaining a concept most people technically already had access to, but never fully understood until they saw it. This is not simply a lesson about vehicle or passenger safety. When examined through its production and outcomes, it becomes a lesson in instructional design, learning effectiveness, and behavioral impact. For leaders, it underscores a core responsibility: designing communication that reinforces clarity and drives behavior. Organizations often assume that once information is documented or distributed, it has been communicated effectively. Decades of cognitive science research show otherwise. Dual coding theory explains that humans process information through both verbal and visual channels, and that learning improves when both are engaged (Paivio, 1971). When information is delivered only through dense text, comprehension and recall decline because the brain lacks visual anchors to reinforce meaning. This explains why long manuals, policies, and training decks frequently fail. The issue is not that the content is wrong. The issue is that it is cognitively inefficient.