"Real leadership is not bringing others down when you are!" - Futurist Jim Carroll
Let's come back to the 7 Stages of Economic Grief, but this time, in the context of my new relationship with gravity.
Huh?
This morning, after writing this post, I'll be off on my 5km or 6km mall walk with a friend; it's become a routine part of my day. It's not terribly exciting, but hey, I'll take it!
Normally, I'd be doing that walk in the forest behind my home, or on a beach at a resort where I'd be on stage later that day. Or on most weeks and throughout the week during the winter, I'd be the first guy at the chairlift.
But as a result of my late November fall, I'm not walking in the forest, nor am I skiing. As the 3 small bones on my spine heal, I'm not to 'do anything stupid,' - a phrase that just about sums up all the medical advice I've received. (If you are just catching up, I wrote about my fall in my 10 Great Words for 2026 post I wrote a few days ago.)
Which brings me to the 7 stages. I'd often shared the story on stage of how I've seen countless leaders, when faced with uncertainty, chaos, and volatility, would work to get their teams through the stages as quickly as they could. could. Beyond anger, denial, and bargaining - and straight into the 'acceptance' phase.
Often, these very CEOs are in a perilous situation, overseeing a company in the midst of turmoil. Their emotions have been all over the map with their new circumstances - denial, anger, bargaining. And yet, they've decided to go straight to acceptance. In doing so, they've decided to keep their team focused on opportunity, not threat. The upside, not the downside. The longer-term reality, not the short-term pain. Positivity, not negativity. The future, not the past.
And so while they might be torn apart inside, knowing what the volatility or uncertainty is going to do to their business, they've decided not to bring their teams down with their own emotions.
They work hard to keep a positive note.
And so here I am! Learning from those CEOs and from the very message I've often shared on stage!
When the doctors told me in the ER that I had fractured some bones and that I wouldn't be skiing this year, just days before the hills opened, my first reaction was shock. Then anger. A bit of denial. And, of course, the bargaining - what I call the "what it's.'
But by the next morning, I realized I had to practice the medicine I preach. I knew that while I might go through a lot of emotions with my new relationship with gravity, it would be critical that I not drag down those around with me with those emotions. My two sons and their wives will have a lot of opportunity to get out to board and ski - and my wife will join them on occasion too.
And so while I would not be able to join them, I quickly decided I wouldn't be the dad to drag them down with my circumstances. I decided that when I met various friends, I wouldn't be a downer. I decided that I needed to approach every day with a positive attitude, not a negative one.
Even if it meant trading a beautiful walk in the forest for a walk through a shopping mall - I'd make the most of it!
I decided to whiz through the 7 stages and get to 'acceptance' as quickly as possible.
And so at this moment, as the depths of winter settle in, I'm working hard every day to keep my emotions in check. I'm comforted that it is 74 days till spring, 91 to my tee time at the Old Course at St. Andrews, and 99 days till I have my annual pool opening! (I'm actually confirmed for a gig in California that day, but hey, it's a milestone!)
And here's the secret to today's phrase - if you choose not to bring others down when you are, it actually helps to stop you from being down!
That's what real leadership is. That's what I've learned from the CEOs who decided to move their teams straight into acceptance.
And it's what I'm working hard to remind myself of, every day.
There's an extremely powerful lesson right there!
Onwards!
Futurist Jim Carroll fractured 3 transverse processes in a fall on ice on November 27, 2025. The prognosis is full recovery - as long as he doesn't do anything stupid through the next few months.