“Congratulations, you’re having twins.”
“I’m sorry to tell you, but your daughter has cancer.”
Just months apart, those two sentences launched our family into the most demanding season of our lives. In 2017, we rode the emotional extremes of joy and fear—first, the surprise of expecting healthy twins (children five and six), then the devastating news that our daughter, Lauren, had bone cancer.
As leaders, we often speak about volatility and uncertainty in abstract terms. But nothing brings those concepts to life like living through them. Lauren’s diagnosis and yearlong treatment, paired with the arrival of newborn twins, forced me to apply every leadership principle I believed in—under pressure and in real time.
Doctors scheduled Lauren’s tumor-removal surgery for February 15, 2018. The twins were due the day before, on February 14. Thankfully, the medical team agreed to induce labor a week early, giving us eight precious days between births and surgery. That window felt like a gift—one of many small mercies that helped us keep moving when hope felt out of reach.
The Role of Hope in Leadership
Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s disciplined optimism. It chooses to believe in possibility—even when outcomes remain unclear. In business and in life, we face disappointing data, limited visibility, and imperfect timing. Still, our teams count on us to model strength, cast vision, and believe in better outcomes.
Throughout that year, what carried us wasn’t certainty—it was taking the next step. Some days, we drove to yet another chemo appointment. Other days, we held newborns in a hospital room filled with beeping monitors. Often, we simply put one foot in front of the other. In adversity, leadership often looks like that—simple, but never easy.
Find the Doers
When things felt darkest, the people who helped most didn’t ask what we needed. They just acted. They showed up. They delivered meals without checking first. They watched our other kids. They started prayer chains. They didn’t wait for permission or a formal invitation—they just moved.
In every organization, these people exist too. They’re the quiet catalysts. They act without fanfare. They lead without titles. And often, they provide the momentum your team needs to keep going. Great leaders don’t just notice them—they empower them, celebrate them, and build cultures where initiative thrives.
Uncertainty Sharpens Focus
Walking hospital hallways has a way of cutting through the noise. When your child’s life hangs in the balance, nothing else matters. One priority rises above the rest: help her heal.
Crisis in business works the same way. It forces us to focus. In those moments, we remember why we do what we do. We shed distractions. We realign our resources. Uncertainty brings clarity—if we’re willing to lean into it.
Keep Moving, Even Without the Full Picture
Bone cancer moves fast. The statistics overwhelm. Many nights, we had no idea what the future held. But we kept moving anyway—because action, even small, still counted as progress.
Leadership demands that same resolve. You won’t have perfect information. You won’t always get the timing right. But keep moving. Progress compounds. And hope, when paired with action, becomes more than a feeling—it becomes a strategy.
A Personal Epilogue
Today, Lauren is in remission. This fall, she starts her freshman year at Wichita State University. Her courage continues to inspire more people than I probably ever will. The twins, now second graders, fill our home with energy and remind us that life keeps going—often in beautiful, unexpected ways.
If you’re leading through uncertainty—personally or professionally—don’t lose heart. Nurture hope. Take the next step, however small. Even if you can’t see the entire path, your movement signals something powerful: the future still matters.
And that, perhaps, is the clearest act of leadership there is.