09/09/2026
Pressure.
Good or bad? Helpful or harmful?
You can debate it from various perspectives. Pressure can focus us. It can create urgency. It can push us to make a decision, have a conversation, or find another level we may not have reached otherwise.
But pressure is still a tool.
And like any tool, it needs to be used wisely and carefully.
That includes the pressure around us.
It also includes the pressure we put on ourselves.
I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week because leaders often take pride in how much pressure they can handle.
And I get it.
Being steady matters. Being dependable matters. Being able to perform when things are messy matters.
But handling pressure is not the same as using it well.
That is where the “pressure makes diamonds” idea gets interesting to me.
Sometimes pressure does shape something stronger.
Other times, it makes us harder, faster, more controlling, more isolated, or more committed to an old habit that used to work.
That is also why this idea feels so connected to Inspired by LIFE: Redefining the Future of Leadership.
The book is about finding leadership lessons in places we might normally move past too quickly.
Even pressure.
Maybe especially pressure.
What is pressure helping you see right now?
Link is in the comments.