The Leadership Curriculum You Need - Part 1

These are the skills that keep good leaders from going under.

You probably learned how to run a meeting. How to write a goal (hello, SMART goals). How to manage a team.

But no one taught you how to lead through exhaustion. How to handle emotional overload. How to make decisions when your brain is mashed potatoes. How to stay present when you're stretched too thin to think straight.

That's the real leadership work. And most of us are just out here winging it.

That's why I created the list of 20 burnout-resistant leadership skills that help you lead without self-destructing.

Let's start with the first 5 this week.

Skill #1: Executive Presence

This isn't about being the loudest voice in the room or looking like you've got it all figured out.

Executive presence is about how you show up when things are unclear, tense, or falling apart.

Can people trust you to stay grounded? To communicate clearly? To hold space without making it about you?

If you lead people, your energy sets the tone whether you mean to or not.

Here's how to build it:

• Start speaking 10% slower.
• Get to the point sooner.
• Hold your posture like you believe your own words.
• And before you walk into any room, ask yourself: What kind of energy do I want to lead with? (Then stick to it.)

Skill #2: Discernment

Discernment is the ability to filter what actually matters from what's just noise.

If you're saying yes to everything, jumping into every fire, and constantly reacting, you're leaking energy and not leading.

Burnout often hides behind blurred priorities. Discernment helps you stop treating every task, request, and opinion like it holds equal weight.

Here's how to build it:

• Pause for 3 seconds before responding.
• Use a decision filter.
• Get clear on your job's core purpose.
• Practice strategic silence.

Skill #3: Emotional Regulation

Leadership will test your patience, pride, and capacity... .sometimes all before your morning coffee.

Emotional regulation is your ability to feel something without being run by it. It's what keeps you from snapping at a colleague, spiraling after feedback, or dragging your stress into every interaction.

Regulated doesn't mean robotic. It means responsive instead of reactive.

Here's how to build it:

• Name it to contain it.
• Try a simple 4x4x6 box breathing exercise to calm your nervous system.
• Notice your physical signals (tight jaw, racing thoughts, short fuse).
• Track your emotional patterns.

Skill #4: Systems Thinking

Stop solving the same problem twice (or more).

Systems thinking is the ability to step back, spot the pattern, and fix the root cause so it doesn't keep happening.

If you're constantly patching the same issues, replying to the same questions, or cleaning up the same messes, you have a system problem.

Here's how to build it:

• Look for repeat problems.
• Ask "why" five times to get to the root cause.
• Every time you solve something, write it down.
• Schedule a monthly process audit.

Skill #5: Learning Agility

Your role is changing faster than ever. And what worked six months ago might not work next week.

Learning agility is the ability to pick up new skills quickly so you can keep up, stay relevant, and adapt without burning out.

The faster you learn, the less energy you waste forcing outdated strategies to still work.

Leaders with learning agility don't wait to be trained. They figure it out, ask smart questions, and learn by doing.

Here's how to build it:

• Set aside 15-30 minutes a week to learn something.
• Drop the ego. Ask for help faster. Google faster. Admit what you don't know faster.
• Learn out loud by teaching others.
• Apply new info immediately.

​

Leadership doesn't always get easier. But you can always get better equipped.

Start applying what you can. Come back to what you can't.

We'll keep building next week with skills 6-10: cognitive flexibility, capacity signaling, boundary-conscious leadership, change pacing, and anticipatory communication.

Take care,

Tara

​

P.S. Don't need another Zoom call on your calendar? Same. That's why I'm offering a full day of voice + text coaching instead. No prep. No scheduling. Just real-time support when you need it. But I'm only offering this to 10 people as a trial. Book it here before it's gone.