Greg Sears, GA Sears Coaching & Leadership Development, LLC

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The Power of a Meeting Reflection

A meeting reflection is often treated as a brief, obligatory opener—an item to check off before getting to the “real” agenda. In reality, this mindset overlooks one of the most powerful leadership tools available. A well‑crafted reflection has the ability to motivate, focus, and elevate an entire team. As the leader, you should take personal responsibility for this moment rather than delegating it. It is your opportunity to set the tone, inspire action, and guide your team with intention.

Below are the essential elements of a meaningful and impactful meeting reflection:

1. Acknowledge the Season Your Team Is In

Every team experiences cycles—periods of high stress, heavy workload, transition, or celebration. Your reflection should match the moment. When your team is struggling or facing intense work, choose a reflection that speaks to their experience. The right message can lift spirits, validate emotions, and renew purpose.

2. Show Thoughtfulness and Care

A reflection should reflect the time and consideration you put into it. Too many leaders rely on last‑minute thoughts that feel like an afterthought rather than an intentional message. A meaningful reflection demonstrates that you care about your team’s growth and morale.

3. Make It Thought‑Provoking

A powerful reflection lingers. It should spark ideas and stay with your team throughout the meeting—and even into the hours and days that follow. When done well, a reflection can influence how people show up, collaborate, and respond to challenges. It can be the difference between inspired, high‑quality work and uninspired effort.

4. Uplift and Engage

Your reflection should energize the room. It should grab attention, raise engagement, and prepare everyone for a productive conversation. Meetings often fall flat simply because the team never felt connected or motivated from the start.

5. Deliver with Passion and Purpose

The message matters—but so does the delivery. Speak with conviction, warmth, and authenticity. Your tone and presence should reinforce the message and model the mindset you want your team to adopt.

6. Create Lasting Impact

The most effective reflections resonate long after the meeting ends. When your team looks forward to your reflections or references them throughout the week, you know you’ve made an impact. This is a sign of leadership that inspires, guides, and elevates.

In Summary

Treat your meeting reflection as the most important agenda item—a moment that sets the tone for everything that follows. When chosen thoughtfully and delivered with passion, it can focus your team, elevate the quality of the work, and create a more connected and inspired culture. The right reflection doesn’t just start the meeting, it shapes the entire day.

Five Steps to Finding Your Life Purpose

Why is it so hard to find our life purpose? There certainly is no short supply of problems in this world that need solving. There is no limit on the number of people whom we could help, or inspire, or support. There is no cap on the number of passions we could pursue. Yet, our life purpose often feels hard to pursue.

There are many reasons why you may not know your life purpose.  Sometimes it’s because the world’s problems seem too big, or we seem too small. Or maybe we are just exhausted from life and don’t know where we’ll find the energy to fight for what really matters to us. But finding and living our purpose is key to having a meaningful, fulfilling life so I strive to help people insert purpose into their lives.

Here are some key steps I suggest to getting started exploring your purpose.

Step 1: Find out what drives you.

One way to find your purpose is to ask yourself: What pain or injustice or unhappiness have I witnessed that I just can’t live with? Is there anything that touches me so deeply that it drives me? Often, a powerful purpose can come from powerful pain.

Conversely, what is it that I find myself lost in for hours with much delight and satisfaction — a hobby, a work project, a conversation, a topic in a book?  Something that is so fulfilling that I just can’t seem to stop doing it?  That may very well be something that inspires and drives you.  Please, stop and take notice because if we are going to find our purpose, we will need to slow down long enough to spot it.

Step 2: Find out what energizes you.

Many years ago, I had a friend who I did my undergraduate studies with who later became a great case study in how to find your purpose.  You see, he didn’t discover and start doing what truly energized him until he was in his 50’s.

For the sake of this article, I will call my friend “John”.  John was a sports fanatic extraordinaire, and a closet sports announcer.  No one knew this was his passion.  When I would go to John’s house to visit, he would be watching a baseball game on TV with the volume off and a mic in his hand, taping his own play-by-play as if he were the announcer for the game.  And, as with most people who have a passion for something, John would critique his announcing and seek to improve himself for the next game, albeit, in the privacy of his own home. 

Like most of us in this world, we pick a career that is safe and easy to get into, so we assure ourselves of being able to make a living.  For most of us it can be beliefs and norms from our family and friends, as we grow up, that influence our desire to pick a career that will provide us with a comfortable life. John was no different, as his parents convinced him to choose a college major based on what they thought would end up being a “sure thing”, from a job standpoint.  However, as can be with many people, and certainly true for John, they will go through life having followed the advice of a parent, or other influential people, and will totally hate what they do.

John was invited to sit in the press box and chat with the announcers at his son’s football games in high school.  As time went on John would throw in his two cents until one day he was offered the opportunity to announce one of the games that his son would play in.  The locals in this small-town thought John was so extraordinary and entertaining that he was eventually offered the lead job announcing all the football games going forward.  They enjoyed his announcing so much, that he continued to be the voice of the high school football games for many years after his son had graduated. This illustrates my point, that we need to constantly be seeking our purpose, that which energizes us, because as it was in John’s case, you can miss your calling or greater purpose for much of your life.

So, to find your life purpose, ask yourself: What energizes me?

Step 3: Find out “that something” you are willing to sacrifice for.

Feeling burn-out after working for a large national health system for 30 years, I paused to ask myself what I really wanted to do. I don’t know about you, but often I think I want to do something, but I don’t end up following through or putting in the work required to succeed — a sign that whatever it was, wasn’t important enough to me to sacrifice for.

This time was different, though. I took an assessment to evaluate my strengths and, what I truly enjoyed doing.  The results of the assessment pointed me toward executive leadership coaching.  Why? Because it revealed not only my strengths, but also the areas of work and life that brought me joy and those areas which did not. I decided at that time (with the encouragement of my wife), that my purpose in life was to start my own coaching business, because helping others find answers, connect with others, and ultimately grow in life and work brought me my most joyous moments. So I stepped away from an executive leadership position, that had much security, and formed a business knowing that there would be days, weeks, and maybe even months of sacrifice ahead.

Believe me, it took sacrifice and hard work to create a business from the ground up. I worked relentlessly to the point of burnout.  Now, I’m not recommending that you sacrifice to the point of burnout, but what I am saying is that when you find something that you are willing to sacrifice a lot for, you know that you’ve found your purpose.

So, ask yourself: What am I willing to sacrifice for?

Step 4: Find out who you want to help.

Early in my career I moonlighted at a local university teaching business, marketing, and organizational development courses.  I was so energized by students who were so hungry to learn and fill themselves up with knowledge that I couldn’t get enough of it.  Their challenging questions and thirst for answers kept me sharp as an executive and a leader.  I enjoyed inspiring people so much that I did this in addition to my executive position for more than 17 years.  I never grew tired, but it always seemed that as I climbed the ladder of success, I had less and less time for what really brought me joy.  It wasn’t until I commenced on the journey to start my consulting and coaching business, that I realized helping others who had a thirst for honing their skills as executive leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners was indeed my greater purpose.

There are many ways to chip away at the same problem, and it’s up to you to find out who you want to help. By figuring out the cause, or people you want to help, you can more easily find your purpose.

To find your life purpose, ask yourself:  Who do I want to help?   

Step 5: Find out how you want to help.

When I first started my consulting and coaching business, I helped everyone that came my way — young executives, high-potential leaders, new business owners, struggling business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, etc. As I acquired more and more clients with different needs, I found a real passion in helping executive level leaders and leadership teams that were struggling to understand how to lead with passion. As a result of the love I have for what I do, I find myself needing to check myself periodically for downtime, because I’m so passionate about what I do in my business, that I find myself working seven days a week.  Now hear me, I don’t advocate for that because it will indeed lead to burnout, but it makes the point that when you find your purpose, work becomes easier and filled with joy. 

To find your purpose, you need to figure out what your strengths or specific skills are that bring you joy and fulfillment, and make a commitment to yourself to find more of “it” and less of what you loathe doing.

Ask yourself: What do I love to do? And how do I apply this passion to my purpose?

Conclusion

Finding your life purpose is a lifelong journey. It’s OK to take it one step at a time. It’s normal to pause and reevaluate regularly. And it’s OK to feel overwhelmed. Nothing worth doing is easy, and this will not always be easy. You will encounter frustrations and challenges along the way. Some days, you’ll throw your hands up in the air in defeat. But then you’ll remember Step 1 – You’re driven to solve this problem. So remember, the reward is greater than the effort.

How to Avoid Emotional Relapse as a Leader

You’re climbing the ladder of success, or may have already made it to the top of your career – now what? Is that the end? I’m here to tell you no! The business world is challenging and brings pressures for results that come at you like a freight train every day. Additionally, coming out of a world pandemic that for most will be a once in a career crisis, how do you avoid the trappings that many business leaders fall into when the pressure is on?

One of the biggest dangers for business leaders is Emotional Relapse. Emotional relapse is an emotional decline of a person tending toward dissolution of leadership skills, optimal communication, and your emotional intelligence.

For example, a leader may have achieved a high level of communication and confidence with their team while working together over a long period of time but miss a deadline or experience an adverse result. The stress and pressure of the moment can result in you becoming overtly cynical and critical of the team’s work. Emotional relapse in this example could be a person reverting to poor communication or mistrust in the team’s ability. Oftentimes, when this occurs, leaders relapse into micromanaging or taking work away and doing the task or project themselves. If not recognized and addressed it can result in progressive worsening of team dynamics, relationships, trust, morale, and even turnover of workers you have had positive performance from. So, how can you avoid the trappings of emotional relapse as a leader? Here are a few ways that can help to begin the change:

1.  Live in the Present

One way to avoid emotional relapse is to live in the present. This means that you need to direct your attention to the work that is before you – now, and not dwell on past successes or failures, unless you are applying lessons learned. You need to be aware of and consider that there are more than one right answer or way of doing things that can achieve positive outcomes. Just because it worked or didn’t work for you in the past, does not mean that the same result will occur in the future. That’s not to say throw out or avoid all those tactics or ideas that worked for you in the past, rather focus on and embrace the present. As leaders, when we stay in the present, we are more apt to exude positive energy in meetings and in your overall leadership. Positive energy allows you to see the present and the future brighter and will reinvigorate yourself, open your perspective to innovation, and will result in you leading your team forward more positively. As a leader you need to embrace and even encourage change in mindset that will foster better ideas and productivity from the team.

2.  Self-Awareness

Being self-aware doesn’t come easy for a lot of people, and those in leadership positions may find it a bit more difficult than others because of the prevalence of stressors and pressures that come from leading in a dynamic environment. Being self-aware doesn’t necessarily mean touchy-feely or an emotional purge from time to time, it’s a realization about yourself in the moment that could affect others in positive or negative ways. If results are poor and/or morale is low, perhaps it is because of something YOU as their

leader is doing or not doing. Has the atmosphere of the office been impinged by your attitude, mood, or cynical perspective, setting a negative tone, and contributing to an environment of fear? If so, the first thing you should do is to step back, look at the bigger picture, then examine yourself. For example, if you are feeling frustrated or even angry that you are not getting the results you should be getting, ask yourself, “What is it that I am doing that is contributing to the poor results and/or low morale?” Then make an adjustment to how you “show up” each day. Remember, self-awareness is not a one-time thing, but an everyday assessment of you as a leader and what you are experiencing emotionally.

3.  Recognize Your Triggers

To be a great leader, you need to recognize your triggers, as part of the self-awareness process, and is one of the best ways to avoid emotional relapse. Start thinking about the things that trigger you to think and behave in a certain way as a leader. Triggers could be virtually anything – from missed deadlines by your team, or goals coming up short, or even something personally that you are bringing to the office. Be self- aware when these triggers start to affect your attitude and behaviors that may be resulting in you reverting to a micromanaging style and/or second guessing the capability of your team.

When you identify your triggers, you must interject a behavior changing mechanism that will redirect your mindset and move you in a positive way instead of losing your emotional intelligence.

Conclusion:

Living in the present, developing self-awareness, and recognizing your triggers are a few of the basics for avoiding the trappings of emotional relapse. When you activate these things in your leadership journey, you will begin to see yourself leading more positively and productively. Things won’t change quickly, but if you commit to making changes within yourself, good things will begin to happen for you, your team, and the results you desire.

Reinforcing Steps:

  • Start with accountability. Find someone – a colleague or team member, who will be honest with you and give you feedback when you appear to be having an emotional relapse.
  • Seek out a leadership coach that can keep you on task in growing as a leader. No matter how seasoned you are as a leader, everyone can benefit from a leadership coach.
  • And lastly, become a student of leadership. Start by reading and learning all you can about techniques to grow your leadership prowess. A leadership coach can help by directing you to books and articles that can accelerate your growth as a leader.

Guidance is Beneficial for All Industries

Whatever your industry – healthcare, educational, automotive, retail, or any other industry, knowing how to navigate challenging scenarios will make and keep the company successful. 

Whether you are an executive leader, midlevel leader, business partner, or simply someone who aspires to become a better or even great leader, you need to step up your game!  You must continuously enhance your current knowledge and skills and be open to fresh and innovative ideas. If you keep the status quo, you can be almost certain that at some point, you and your company will be overshadowed by those willing to take it to the next level. At that time, you may wonder why you are facing challenges that you can’t seem to overcome and perhaps not be able to turn things around at all, or maybe just too tired to try. 

The last two years have been exceptionally challenging as we saw first-hand how businesses are impacted by adversity. Employers had to start thinking out of the box and face these challenges at record speed and with many new requirements to accommodate their employees. Decisions were made that mandated companies to require employees to wear masks while working inside company buildings, and many companies struggled internally on whether to mandate vaccines. However, in specific industries, the more significant challenge may have been how employees were able to work remotely.  As a result, many businesses were not able to survive.

Why did some businesses survive while others didn’t? Most notably would be due to the specific nature of their business. Secondly, many were able to survive by sheer will by shifting the way of how they do business, which ultimately boils down to innovative thinking and good, effective leadership. 

GA Sears Coaching & Leadership Development was created to help leaders see things differently and guide them to know what to do, not only during extreme situations but also during the everyday internal challenges of leadership structure, business revenue, and company cultures such as conflict management and toxic employees/environment, to name a few.

GA Sears Coaching & Leadership Development will provide you with sound executive leadership coaching and team leadership training to ensure your company is tooled with the critical thinking and leadership skills it takes to change, grow, and survive! 

Visit us today at www.gasears.com or email us at greg@gasears.com to see how we can help you become the leader you desire, and are meant, to be. 

“Change can only happen if one is willing.”