By Allison McCarthy, MBA | amccarthy@barlowmccarthy.com
The strongest leaders I coach often draw strength from moments in their careers they almost forgot about.
The title they worked years to earn. The difficult season they helped a team navigate. The initiative that came together under their leadership and changed the way their organization operated.
Those moments remind leaders what they are capable of.
And then the valley arrives.
Budgets tighten. Expectations grow. Teams become fatigued and resistant to change. Leaders find themselves carrying pressure from every direction while trying to provide clarity they may still be working to find themselves.
I am hearing this from healthcare leaders everywhere right now. Many are carrying a deep sense of exhaustion and discouragement. There is a feeling of being stuck in the valley with no clear summit ahead.
But after more than 30 years of leadership and coaching work in healthcare, I have learned something important:
The valley is where leadership gets tested.
Those mountaintop moments in your career were never simply accomplishments to place on a résumé. They revealed something essential about who you are as a leader. Maybe it was the steadiness you brought during uncertainty. Maybe it was your ability to create clarity in chaos. Maybe it was your capacity to influence people during difficult circumstances.
Those strengths did not disappear when the season changed.
They are still there.
One of the most valuable exercises I use with leaders during difficult seasons is asking them to revisit a previous challenge they handled well. What strengths surfaced during that time? What instincts emerged? What abilities did they rely on that they may not fully recognize today?
Almost every time, leaders discover something important. The strength they need for today’s challenge already exists within experiences they have already lived through.
The pressure leaders are carrying right now is real. The fatigue is real. The uncertainty is real.
But the strengths that carried you through previous seasons are real too.
This week, take five minutes to reflect on one professional moment you are proud of. Ask yourself what strength showed up in you during that season. And how it may help guide you through the challenges you are facing today.
At Barlow/McCarthy, I work with healthcare leaders who are navigating pressure, uncertainty, and significant change. Often, the most important leadership breakthrough comes from rediscovering strengths that have already been proven through past challenges.
If this message resonates with you or your team, I would welcome the opportunity to connect. Send us an email at info@barlowmccarthy.com and I will be in touch.