The recent tariffs and government agency cuts are dramatic—perhaps excessive. They’re clearly a shock-and-awe strategy designed to force change. People are getting hurt, and so are investment accounts (at least for now).
Will it work? We don’t know yet. But as leaders, we have a responsibility to analyze the leadership behind the moment, rather than just react to the moment itself.
The Problem with Power Moves
As a rule, I don’t like extravagant displays of power. They often stem from ego, hubris, and a lack of wisdom. Bold moves for the sake of attention or control rarely lead to sustainable solutions.
And yet, sometimes… breaking things is the only way to fix them.
Leadership Parallel: A Necessary Reset
When my brother Aaron was young, he broke his arm near the elbow. The fractures healed improperly, causing his arm to bend at an odd angle. Physical therapy couldn’t fix it.
The only solution was a full reset—his arm had to be rebroken, pins inserted, and healing restarted from scratch.
It meant pain, trauma, and a major setback. But it was the only way forward for true healing.
I don’t like the way this President operates. But from a leadership perspective, I have to ask: Has our system become so hardened in its misshapen ways that a dramatic reset is required?
Reckless Breaking or Strategic Resetting
Even when breaking something to fix it, a wise leader follows a set of principles. If you’re in a position where drastic action seems necessary, consider these four leadership guidelines:
- Break only when reform efforts have failed. Destruction should never be the first option. True leadership starts with exhausting all reasonable paths for improvement.
- Check your ego. Enter the reset with bold humility. If you’re making a dramatic change, acknowledge that it may not work—and that real people will be impacted.
- Use the most precise instruments possible. You may need a hammer to initiate change, but transition to a scalpel and pins quickly. Broad, blunt-force actions often create unintended damage.
- Keep health and healing as the goal. This isn’t about your vision, your power, or your legacy. It’s about restoring what’s broken—not about proving you’re right.
Leadership Lesson
We’ll see how this all plays out. Either way, it will serve as a leadership case study.
In the meantime,
Let’s reject fear, and embrace our responsibility to lead where we are—with wisdom, courage, and the humility to know that breaking things isn’t the goal. Healing is.
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