09/07/2026
Waiting isn’t neutral.
There’s probably something you already know you need to do. A conversation. A decision. An application. An idea. An apology. A first step.
And every time you move it to “next week,” something interesting happens: The action rarely gets easier. Carrying it gets heavier.
I call this Action Debt: the emotional and energetic interest that accumulates when we repeatedly delay an action we already know matters.
And no, this isn’t about hustling harder. Sometimes waiting is smart. Sometimes it’s strategic.
But when you already know the next honest step and keep avoiding it? You’re paying interest.
So ask yourself: Has waiting actually made this easier?
If not, don’t try to solve everything today. Take the smallest honest step.
Because action doesn’t eliminate uncertainty. It gives reality a chance to replace imagination.
This week’s Plugged In Leadership goes deeper into Action Debt and why the decisions we delay quietly drain our energy, presence, and agency.
Read now: https://adamwbarney.kit.com/posts
09/02/2026
Napster asked who owns the song. AI is asking who owns the artist.
That’s where my brain went reading this story about Jason Isbell and other musicians suing AI music company Suno.
Those of us who lived through Napster have seen part of this movie before. Technology changes what’s possible faster than laws, business models and norms can catch up. But AI adds a much more personal wrinkle.
If a machine can reproduce the patterns that make someone’s work recognizably theirs — their voice, style, phrasing, creative fingerprints — where does imitation end and identity begin?
That’s a much bigger question than “is AI good or bad?”
And it gets to something I keep coming back to in my own work: Technology can expand what humans are capable of doing. It does not answer what humans should do.
That still requires judgment, leadership, and a conversation about what we believe is fair.
Napster forced the music industry to renegotiate ownership. AI may force us to renegotiate identity.
That one feels worth paying attention to.
08/31/2026
Fear is contagious.
But here's what I've realized... So is possibility.
This week, I learned a phrase that's been stuck in my head ever since: Fear Transfer.
It's what happens when someone else's fears quietly become your own.
You're excited about starting something new...and someone says:
"Be careful."
"That sounds risky."
"I could never do that."
They're trying to help.
But they're often answering a different question.
Not: "What's right for you?"
Instead: "What would I do?"
That distinction changes everything.
One line from this week's newsletter says it best: Most advice isn't about your future. It's a reflection of someone else's past.
Read that again. Whose fears are you carrying?
đź“– This week's Plugged In Leadership explores one of the most powerful ideas I've encountered this year...and how to tell the difference between wisdom and projection.
08/28/2026
The bill finally came due for fake trust.
For years, businesses have treated online reviews like something to hack. Buy a few stars. Plant a few comments. Pad the signal. Hope nobody notices.
Turns out, people notice.
A new study found that businesses flagged for fake-review activity saw measurable drops in foot traffic.
That's exactly why my upcoming conversation with John de Jong feels so timely.
John’s playbook is not fake the signal. It is build the signal.
Ask for the review. Reply like a human. Optimize the profile. Make it easy for people to trust you.
Because reputation is not just a marketing accessory. It is infrastructure.
And once customers believe the trust signal is manipulated, you are not just losing clicks. You are burning the asset that made the clicks worth anything.
Episode 79 with John de Jong goes live September 16.
Link to the study + John’s resources in the comments.
08/24/2026
Who are you...without the outcome?
That's the question I've been sitting with all week.
Not because success is bad. Not because failure defines us. But because both become dangerous when they become our identity.
This week's Plugged In Leadership explores Identity Debt: the hidden cost of tying who you are to what happens around you.
Sometimes the strongest foundation you can build isn't another achievement. It's remembering who you were before anyone applauded.
08/17/2026
🔥 I've never liked the word "burnout." Not because it isn't real. Because it makes us believe the story starts when the fire is already visible.
I don't think that's true.
Every flame begins with a spark. A little more cynicism. A little less patience. Sleep gets harder. The work that used to energize you starts to feel heavier.
Those moments are easy to dismiss. We tell ourselves we're just busy, stressed, or that things will settle down next week.
But what if those aren't random frustrations? What if they're the first signals that something deeper is asking for our attention?
That's why I've started calling it flameout instead.
Flameout isn't an event. It's the accumulation of tiny, unnoticed sparks that eventually become impossible to ignore.
The encouraging part?
If the fire starts with a spark, you don't have to wait for the explosion to change direction.
This week's issue of Plugged In Leadership is the one I've been building toward through the entire Debt Series.
Because leadership debt.
Belonging debt.
Meaning debt.
Time debt...
..don't suddenly appear.
They accumulate until everyone else can finally see the fire.
The real leadership skill isn't recovering from flameout. It's learning to notice the spark.
📬 Link in bio.
08/24/2026
08/17/2026