Leadership as a Second Adulthood

I was struck by this reflection from Paul Byrne— Leadership Journey  (Growing Up, Again)—because it puts words to a shift many of us feel but rarely articulate. At some point, the fuel of ambition runs low, not because we’ve failed—but because we’ve changed.

The question is no longer, “How do I get ahead?” but “What is mine to do now?”

This isn’t about slowing down. It’s about showing up—with deeper alignment, wiser presence, and a desire to leave more than a title or a résumé. This is mature leadership. And it might be the most important chapter yet.

💬 What’s the story you want your life to tell?

Original Post by Paul Byrne

At some point, the question changes.

It's no longer How do I get ahead? or even How do I keep up?

Instead, something quieter emerges:

What is mine to do now?

Many of the leaders I work with are in this in-between space.

Successful by most standards, but restless. Still moving fast, but no longer sure where the road is leading.

They've climbed the mountain of early adulthood: careers built, families raised, boxes ticked. But now the perspective has shifted. And with it, so has the desire.

Not for more.

But for deeper.

In the early stages of leadership, ambition is the fuel. And rightly so. It gets us going, helps us learn, stake a claim, prove our worth. But ambition has its limits. At some point, doing more stops feeling like becoming more.

That's when growth starts to look different.

Instead of striving, there's settling in.

Not in the resigned way, but in the grounded, soul-centered way.

Leaders begin to notice the gap between what they do and who they are. They realize that legacy isn't built later. It's built now, in how they show up, listen, guide, and create spaces to help others rise.

This is the work of mature leadership.

The goals were never the problem.

But for too long, they belonged to someone else.

This chapter is different.

The pen is in your hand.

And the questions are yours now: