What You Carry, Your Team Pays For
“What You Carry, Your Team Pays For”
The Trouble Tree: Leadership Most Ignore
Performance isn’t the issue
You let things get in the way
It’s costing you. Here’s why:
Most leaders don’t walk into rooms alone.
We bring stress. Pressure. Frustration. Distraction. A tough conversation from home.
A deal that fell apart. A bad night of sleep. Money stress. Team issues.
All of it. It’s not that you have these in your life. We all do.
The problem is, they show up with you.
They carry a tone.
They dictate your meetings.
They infect your focus, patience and energy.
The problem is if you are feeling it, your team, your family and your results are feeling it. Even if you don’t think they are. Some things you just can’t hide.
The Story
There’s a simple story I’ve always loved: The Trouble Tree.
Puts much of this in perspective
A carpenter had one of those days.
Flat tire. Lost time. Broken tools. Truck wouldn’t start.
Just one thing after another.
When someone drove him home, he sat there quietly. No energy. No emotion. Just drained.
But when they got to his house, something interesting happened.
Before walking inside, he paused at a small tree… and touched the branches with both hands.
Then, he walked in—and completely transformed.
He smiled.
He hugged his kids.
He kissed his wife.
He was present.
Later, when asked about it, he said:
“That’s my trouble tree. I know I can’t avoid having problems at work…
but one thing’s for sure—those problems don’t belong in the house.”
And then he added something powerful:
“Funny thing is… when I go back in the morning to pick them up,
there’s usually fewer than I remember leaving there.”
That’s Compartmentalization
It’s not ignoring your problems.
It’s choosing where they belong. Also, where they don’t.
If you don’t control it
They WILL control you. It’s up to you.
1. Don’t Leave It to Chance
Stop HOPING the switch is going to flip. You can wait or you can do something about it.
Build a system. The best–we don’t rely on hope. We make it happen.
The Transition Ritual. Draw a line between one and the other. Stop mixing.
It could be:
Sitting in your car for 2 minutes before walking in
Asking yourself: “Who do I need to be right now?”
A quick walk, workout, or breathing reset
Writing your thoughts down and physically closing the notebook
Looking at a picture of your family before you walk through the door
The activity only has to matter to you and how you handle it.
“I will walk in as who I choose to be… not what I experienced.”
2. Process It
What most of us do: don’t compartmentalize because we never actually deal with it. Or don’t want to. Easier to just push it away.
We push through, grind, stay busy, distractions. The badge of honor.
Here’s how it actually shows up:
Short tempers
Lack of focus
Procrastination
Scrolling, avoiding, checking out
Low energy and inconsistent performance
What if you just gave yourself time to process? No phone. No distractions. Just process.
Slow down and use this:
What’s actually bothering me?
What can I control?
What are my options?
What action am I taking?
That’s it. You will find clarity. You will just be a better person and make better decisions
3. Take the Emotion Out of It
This is where leaders separate.
Most of us operate on how we feel.
Elite leaders operate based on standards.
We decide in advance:
“I show up prepared.”
“I control my energy.”
“My team gets the best version of me.”
“My family doesn’t pay for my bad day.”
Your team doesn’t experience your intentions—what YOU want to do. It’s what YOU WILL do. YOUR presence.
You Don’t Need to Be Perfect
You just need to be intentional.
We all have problems.
We all have pressure.
We all have days when things don’t go right.
We call that life.
Great leaders?
We don’t let those things dictate who we become in the moment.
Draw a line, process it, raise their standard.
Final Thought
Stop bringing your problems into the room.
Build your version of The Trouble Tree.
Leadership isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about learning how to carry less.
If this hits home, this is exactly the kind of work we do with leaders every single day.
Let’s talk. Why not?
