June 6, 2026 | Read online​

I've had more conversations in the past two or three weeks than I've had in a long time. After Q1, my pipeline dried up, and when that happens, I do the same thing I've always done.

I get back to work.

I pick up the phone, I reach out to people, and I set up as many conversations as I can to get a temperature on what's happening out there (and try to drive revenue).

What I'm hearing from almost everyone is the same thing. People are exhausted. Not the normal end-of-quarter tired. A deeper kind of exhaustion that comes from trying to make decisions when nothing feels stable. The market is shifting, AI is rewriting job descriptions in real time, companies are restructuring, and nobody has a clear picture of what the next 12 months look like.

Some people are thinking about leaving their jobs. Some are wondering if they should stay and fight for what they have. Some got laid off and are trying to figure out what to do next. Some are in roles that don't feel right anymore, but they can't articulate why. The through line in almost every conversation is the same:

I've been there. Unfortunately, more than once. And the thing that has pulled me through every time is something that has nothing to do with market conditions, job titles, or comp plans. It's recentering on my core values.

I know that sounds soft, but I promise you it’s not. Your core values are the most practical decision-making tool you have. They're the lens that tells you why one opportunity feels right, and another one doesn't, even when they look the same on paper. They're what tells you whether a boss is someone you can build with or someone who's going to drain you. They're what keeps you grounded when everything around you is in flux.

When I'm aligned with my values, I make good decisions fast. When I'm not, I overthink everything and end up stuck in the same place I started. I've watched this play out with hundreds of people I've worked with over the years. When core values are aligned between people, teams, and organizations, they do incredible things together. When they're not, it falls apart every time, no matter how talented the people are.

A few weeks ago, I built a prompt pack that walks you through a guided exercise to identify your core values using AI as a thought partner. I originally built it for myself and started sharing it with a few people I was having these conversations with. The feedback caught me off guard.

A COO told me it felt like a therapy session without the judgment. A global sales leader said it was probably the most valuable exercise he's ever been through. These are people who have been through every corporate training and leadership program you can think of, and a 60-minute exercise with an AI prompt gave them more clarity than any of it.

I'm sharing it with everyone now because I think the timing matters.

If you're in one of those moments where you're trying to figure out what's next, or you're wondering why something doesn't feel right even though it looks fine from the outside, start here. Get centered on what actually matters to you before you make any decisions. The clarity changes everything.

Here's the link to the Values Prompt Pack.

Open it up, paste it into Claude or ChatGPT, and give yourself 60 minutes. You'll walk away with a clear set of values and a decision framework you can use for the rest of your career.

#MakeItHappen

How did I do with this edition? Amazing - can't wait till next week It was okay Needs work