Good Leaders are Smart. Great Leaders are Wise.

Picture this: You’ve tapped Jordan, your clutch performer, to present the monthly forecast to the executive team. Three days out, something’s ‘off’: no updates, no messages, nothing from Jordan. The meeting is looming, and your mind starts racing.

But which mind is calling the shots?

• Emotion Mind: feelings run this show. You’ll tend to lead with reactivity, defensiveness, or worry.

“Jordan’s letting me down. We’re so screwed! I’d better start doing it all myself.”

• Reasonable Mind: logic dominates. This can be efficient - even justified… but risks coming off cold, disconnected, and assumptive.

“Jordan’s usually reliable. They must have just forgot. I’ll ping them.”

• Wise Mind: the union of intuition and reason. It’s the difference between firing off a frustrated email, and pausing long enough to respond with facts and feeling.

“I’m anxious because this matters. But Jordan’s track record tells me to stay curious. Let me check in and understand what’s really happening.”

Navigating Our ‘Mind’fields

Are you smart? Or wise?

Our “monkey brain” loves to hijack the moment, doesn’t it? It runs wild with stories of blame, catastrophe, and frustration. Left unchecked, it doesn’t just run your thoughts… it runs you.

Swinging too far the other way is no better. Data-driven decisioning feels safe, even justified… but decisions based on wrong or incomplete inputs can be just as damaging as reacting purely from emotion.

One extreme leads to rash overcorrections; the other to disconnected choices. Over-rotating in either direction can derail success.

That’s why we need Wise Mind: the intersection of what you feel and what you know. Wise Mind isn’t about suppressing emotion or worshipping logic. It’s about integrating data with humanity; empathy with action.

And that’s the heart of the Becoming stage of The JDB Way™. Growth isn’t just about knowing your Journey and Designing the right systems. It’s about Becoming the leader your people — and your results — require.

Leadership Shift: How to Wisen Up

When you feel hijacked by emotion, or notice yourself slipping into detached logic, use this Wise Mind reset:

1. Pause and Check In Notice your state before you act. Are you reacting from anxiety, frustration, or cold detachment? Awareness creates space for choice.

2. Anchor in Facts Write down what’s real:

• Jordan hasn’t given an update.

• They’ve historically been reliable.

• The deadline is approaching.

  Separate what’s true from the story your brain is spinning.

3. Breathe and Reset
Take a few intentional breaths (I like to box breathe: inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4 hold 4). This slows your nervous system and steadies your response.

4. Respond from Wise Mind
Lead with fact and feeling.

“Jordan, I noticed we haven’t had an update on the forecast. I know quality matters to you, and I value that. With the deadline approaching, is there anything I can support you with? Let’s connect before end of day.”

Bottom Line:

Every leader faces moments when the monkey brain wants the wheel. The Becoming stage of The JDB Way™ is about catching it, choosing Wise Mind, and leading with compassionate clarity.

Because when you choose to do better, you don’t just elevate yourself.

You elevate your outcomes.

To better,

Jess