Finding Leadership Momentum When Your Tank is Empty

What do you do when you want a fresh start, but your tank is still empty? In this Season 3 premiere, Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren discuss how to restart when your energy is low and momentum feels hard to find. First, they share what’s been good, what’s been weighing on them, and steps for a powerful check-in when you are depleted and worried it is leaking out as guilt, frustration, or anger. They dig into what anger can signal and the complexities around setting healthy boundaries as a leader. Drew and Brett then dig into ways to restart when your energy is low, and you cannot find the motivation to start. They explore the tension between bending your schedule to match your energy versus trying to force your energy to match your calendar, and why urgency for relaxation usually backfires. They unpack why tolerance for discomfort is important, how to develop the discipline muscle, and the role of accountability and discipline in finding motivation. They also share their new “Agree to Agree” segment, which tests how much they actually align on culture versus strategy, toxic high performers, and the only holiday argument that really matters. Join Drew and Brett to discover how to reframe tasks, learn simple habits to restart when your energy is low, and uncover the interdependence between culture and strategy.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Bending your schedule to your energy versus bending your energy to your schedule. [0:17:55]

• How breaking a task into smaller steps can unlock momentum and build discipline. [0:26:04]

• Learn why accountability is vital, how to sustain discipline, and the role of patience. [0:30:58]

• An overview of the new “Agree to Agree” segment and the motivation for starting it. [0:37:24]

• Explore the complex interplay between culture and strategy and why it matters. [0:40:23]

• Find out whether toxic employees should be fired regardless of their performance. [0:47:56]

• Unpack the concept of exploring your “wrongness” as an intellectual exercise. [1:05:30]

Quotes:

“It is amazing what you attract when you are driven by certain purpose.” — Brett Elmgren [0:06:02]

“We’ll never start if we are searching for motivation – but if it is a search for patience, that makes it a search for quiet, which often makes it a search for peace.” — Drew Dudley [0:35:34]

“Strategy will sometimes eat culture for breakfast, but culture is going to give you a six-pack over time. – So, culture beats strategy [in the] long-term.” — Drew Dudley [0:42:31]

“Culture informs strategy, and culture has to be part of strategy. They are integrated with each other, they are not two separate entities.” — Brett Elmgren [0:45:43]

“Problematic behavior cannot be corrected if people [are] not aware that it is problematic.” — Drew Dudley [0:55:21]

Links in Today’s Episode:

Atomic Habits

The Last Lecture

Outliers

The Tipping Point

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership