What Happens When We Fall for Speed Over Clarity?
Leadership is evolving.
AI is accelerating.
Performance standards are rising.
And the pressure to adapt has never been higher.
But this week — as we celebrate connection, commitment, and clarity — it’s worth asking:
What are we truly devoted to as leaders?
In this edition of Scaling My Impact, we explore three powerful conversations that challenge how we think about growth:
- Are you climbing the wrong summit with AI?
- What did GenAI really change in 2025?
- And what is high performance quietly costing you?
Because leadership, at its core, is about relationships — with technology, with others, and with ourselves.
Stay tuned until the end of this newsletter to catch our last week’s poll result about which support actually helps our community grow as leaders! ❤️
What If You’re Not Burned Out… But Scaling the Wrong Summit?
You’re working harder. Testing new AI tools. Trying to stay competitive.
But what if the friction you’re feeling isn’t failure…
What if you’re simply climbing the wrong mountain?
On February 11, 2026 (11 AM ET), during BlueTV Season 3, host Denise Murtha Bachmann sat down with sales strategist and AI leadership expert Cherilynn Castleman for a conversation on Relationship Intelligence and AI Fluency: A New Competitive Advantage .
What unfolded wasn’t just about AI.
It was about clarity. Positioning. And choosing the right summit.
What Are the Core Takeaways From This BlueTV Conversation?
1. Why Does AI Feel Overwhelming?
There are 50–100 new AI tools launching every day .
Most leaders respond by pushing harder.
Cherilynn reframed it:
“Think of AI as a thought partner.”
And reminded us:
“Trusted advisors have a POV.”
AI doesn’t create clarity. It amplifies it.
2. How Do You Stop Being Overlooked?
If your work doesn’t clearly connect to revenue, ROI, or operational efficiency — it won’t land .
Her challenge:
“Don’t make them ask ‘So what?’ Start with that.”
Impact must be explicit.
3. How Can You Build Momentum in 15 Minutes a Day?
Spend 15 minutes daily thinking with AI — not reacting .
Close your session with:
“What am I missing? Challenge me.”
Momentum returns when alignment returns.
How Do You Know If You’re Climbing the Wrong Summit?
If the trail feels impossible, don’t assume you’re weak .
Ask:
- Are you scaling someone else’s definition of success?
- Are you exhausting strengths meant for a different horizon?
- Are you using AI to push harder — instead of to align better?
Cherilynn said it clearly:
“AI will never replace the ability to connect.”
Tools amplify. Alignment multiplies .
Choose the summit that matches your wiring.
Then let AI elevate the ascent.
How to Watch the Replay, Stay Connected, and Take the Next Step
If this message challenged you, don’t let it stop here.
- Watch the full LinkedIn Live replay of the February 11 BlueTV session: Relationship Intelligence + AI Fluency: A New Competitive Advantage
- Connect with Cherilynn Castleman on LinkedIn to request her GIFT, SAIL, and Financial Fluency frameworks — and follow her upcoming AI office hours.
- Connect with Denise Murtha Bachmann on LinkedIn to stay updated on future BlueTV episodes and conversations around sales leadership and executive growth.
Your next level isn’t about working harder .
It’s about choosing the right summit — and surrounding yourself with people who help you climb it.
Start there.
What If the Hardest Moments in Leadership Are the Ones That Shape You Most?
Leadership isn’t built in comfort. It’s forged in attention, adversity, and humility .
On February 9th, 11th, and 13th, 2026, Tim • • Dickey went live for a three-part Life Lessons Learned series exploring what presence, pressure, and service truly mean in leadership.
Across three powerful episodes — Get Present, 800 Feet Down, and Learned to Serve — Tim shared real experiences from family life, submarine sea trials, and military leadership that revealed something profound:
The moments that stretch you… are often the ones that shape you most .
What Are the Core Takeaways From Life Lessons Learned?
1. Why Is Presence a Leadership Discipline?
Tim admitted:
“I heard what she had to say. But I wasn’t actually listening.”
Presence isn’t proximity.
“Being present and actively listening… is one of the most important things I can do as a leader.”
Dial in. Lock in. Then execute.
2. How Do You Lead Under Pressure?
At 800 feet underwater, the submarine made unsettling noises.
But Tim explained:
“Those signals… might be off-putting, but they are definitely not a warning of impending doom.”
Leadership requires learning to separate:
Noise from real threat .
Pressure builds discernment.
3. How Does Service Define Leadership?
Tim shared:
“Leadership isn’t about always being the person on top calling the shots.”
And:
“Communicate and praise often… and never be afraid to roll up your sleeves.”
Leadership is appreciation + participation.
What Would Change If You Applied These Lessons This Week?
Ask yourself:
- Where am I hearing… but not listening?
- What noise am I mistaking for danger?
- When was the last time I stepped in to serve alongside my team?
Tim summarized it clearly:
- Presence builds clarity.
- Pressure builds discernment.
- Service builds trust .
Leadership is rarely about dramatic moments.
It’s about consistent discipline in small ones.
How to Watch, Subscribe, and Stay Connected
If these lessons challenged you, don’t let them end here.
- Watch the full Life Lessons Learned series:
Get Present
800 Feet Down
Learned to Serve
- Subscribe to Tim Dickey’s YouTube Channel for future leadership lessons and live episodes.
- Connect with Tim • • Dickey on LinkedIn to follow ongoing leadership insights
And consider this your leadership prompt for the week:
- ✔ Be fully present in one key conversation
- ✔ Reframe one stressful moment with discernment
- ✔ Step in and serve alongside your team
Because the depth won’t break you.
If you learn to interpret it correctly — it will build you.
What Actually Happened in GenAI in 2025 — And Why 2026 Will Be About Speed
2025 looked like the year AI won.
Record funding. Agent explosion. Big Tech consolidation. Infrastructure arms race
But beneath the headlines?
On Top Voices Tuesday (February 11, 2026), Michael Lopez sat down with Jason Saltzman, Head of Insights at CB Insights, to unpack what truly shifted in GenAI — and what comes next.
As Jason put it:
“The thing that is most unique about this cycle is the speed at which it’s happened.”
This wasn’t gradual evolution.
It was an acceleration.
What Were the 3 Defining Shifts in 2025?
1. Why Did Funding Double — But Concentrate?
“We almost more than doubled the previous record… with $226 billion.”
But 41% went to just three companies .
Jason called it:
“A bifurcated or dual-track market.”
Capital scaled. Distribution narrowed.
2. How Did AI Agents Become the New Operating Layer?
“We had just under 400 AI agent companies… now we have approaching 2,100.”
And impact followed:
“Customer service employment has dramatically fallen in the last 12 to 18 months.”
Agents aren’t experimental anymore.
They’re operational.
3. Why Is Speed the Real Disruptor?
“You’ve reached far more people… in the course of three years.”
Speed compresses:
- Funding cycles
- Adoption windows
- Competitive advantage
Waiting is losing.
What Should Leaders Do Now?
Jason’s advice:
“Go and use these tools.”
And:
“Rethink the way that you go through processes.”
- 2025 was about infrastructure and concentration.
- 2026 will be about orchestration and adaptability .
The winners won’t predict perfectly.
They’ll adapt fastest.
How to Watch, Connect, and Stay Ahead
If you want the full ecosystem breakdown:
- Watch the YouTube replay: What Actually Happened in GenAI in 2025 and What Comes Next with Jason Saltzman
- Watch the LinkedIn replay: What Actually Happened in GenAI in 2025 and What Comes Next with Jason Saltzman
Join the next Top Voices Tuesday episode with Sharita Humphrey on February 17 at 12:00 PM EST on LinkedIn Live. Register here!
👉 Connect with Michael Lopez for future Top Voices Tuesday discussions:
👉 Follow Jason Saltzman on LinkedIn for daily insights:
👉 Explore the CB Insights Gen AI Signal Tracker dashboard for live funding and market traction data:
If you’re leading through this cycle, the question isn’t whether AI will impact your industry.
It’s whether you’ll move fast enough to shape it.
What If High Performance Is Quietly Costing You More Than You Realize?
You’re reliable. Driven. The one people depend on when things fall apart.
But what if being “the strong one” is slowly draining you?
On February 12, 2026 (7 AM ET), during People Behind the Post, Jose Kiggundu hosted Bukie ADEBOLA-EZEH for a powerful conversation titled: “The Hidden Cost of High Performance.”
This wasn’t about productivity hacks.
It was about the emotional, mental, and physical cost of always showing up at your best — without ever checking in with yourself.
And if you are someone who performs at a high level consistently, this conversation likely hit close to home.
What Are the 3 Core Truths About High Performance?
1. Why Does Burnout Start Quietly?
During the conversation, Bukie ADEBOLA-EZEH explained that burnout rarely arrives all at once:
“Burnout is in different stages… it gives you different signs before you finally flatten out.”
She pointed to early signals many high performers ignore: Irritability. Snapping. Withdrawal. Fatigue
Her reminder was simple but powerful:
“You cannot serve people from an empty cup.”
High performers often dismiss the whisper — until it becomes a crash.
2. Why Is Letting Go So Hard?
Reflecting on cultural expectations, Bukie acknowledged how deeply conditioning plays a role:
“Especially us from African heritage, we think burnout doesn’t exist.”
She added that many of us were raised to endure at all costs:
“It’s hard for us to let go… we were raised to grab everything and hold on.”
Endurance becomes identity.
But alignment requires release.
3. Who Are You Without the Applause?
One of the most challenging moments came when she stated:
“Your responsibilities are not your identity.”
And then asked the question that shifts everything:
“Who am I when people are not clapping for me?”
When identity is tied only to performance, burnout becomes inevitable.
What Happens When You Choose Healing Over Hustle?
This conversation wasn’t just diagnostic.
It was invitational.
If you’ve been running at full speed for too long, this may be your moment to pause .
Because the real cost of high performance isn’t failure.
It’s forgetting who you are beyond what you do .
How to Watch, Connect, and Take the Next Step
If this conversation resonated with you, here’s how to continue:
- Watch the full LinkedIn replay of People Behind the Post: The Hidden Cost of High Performance to hear the entire discussion
- Connect with Jose Kiggundu on LinkedIn to stay updated on future episodes and meaningful leadership conversations
- Connect with Bukie ADEBOLA-EZEH (Bukie Signature) on LinkedIn to access her current offers:
- A Free Identity-Building PDF Workbook (for the first 5 people who DM her)
- 5 Free Coaching Appointments
- Her book: Non Negotiable: Your Five Pathways to Getting out of Burnout and Building the Life that Fits
Watch. Reflect. Reach out.
Because sustainable performance begins when identity comes first.
Last Week’s Poll Results — What Helps You Make Tough Decisions Faster?
Last week, we asked:
What helps you make tough decisions faster?
Because making tough decisions isn’t just about speed — it’s about clarity.
We all approach decision-making differently:
- Gut instinct
- Hard data
- Advice from others
But what drives faster clarity?
🗳️ The winning answer: Data.
Our community overwhelmingly agreed — data provides the confidence needed to move decisively.
A special thanks to these Voices who voted and engaged:
See the full poll discussion here.
Your voice shapes this community.
Stay Connected to What Matters Most
Want more weekly strategy breakdowns like this?
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