Your leadership has a sell-by date

And if you’re not careful, an expiration date

If you don't know the difference, you're probably working past yours.

Think about milk.

The sell-by date is when the store should stop selling it, but it's still good for a week or two after that.

The expiration date is when it's actually spoiled. Done. Unusable. Throw it out.

Most leaders confuse the two.

You hit your "sell-by date" when:

• The role that used to excite you now drains you
• The company culture that used to inspire you now suffocates you
• The leadership style that used to work doesn't fit anymore
• You've outgrown the position but keep trying to make it work

But instead of recognizing the sell-by date, you push through.

You manage harder. You optimize more. You convince yourself you just need better boundaries, better systems, better time management.

And you keep going until you hit expiration.

You know you've hit expiration when:

• You don't recognize yourself anymore
• Every Sunday night feels like dread
• You resent the work you used to love
• You're one meeting away from quitting (or exploding)

That's not burnout you can recover from with a vacation.

That's spoiled. Done. You stayed too long.

The Hard Truth: Most of us are working on expired leadership.

We passed our sell-by date years ago, but we kept pushing. Kept managing. Kept trying to make it work.

And now we're confused why we feel so drained, so resentful, so done.

Honoring your sell-by date isn't quitting. It's leading yourself.

It's saying: "This was perfect for who I was. It's not right for who I'm becoming."

It's recognizing that just because something isn't expired doesn't mean you should keep consuming it.

So ask yourself:

• Are you leading from alignment, or are you leading from obligation?
• Are you honoring your sell-by date, or are you waiting for expiration?

Because here's the thing about leadership, you can't lead others if you're not willing to lead yourself out of what's no longer working.

Even if your leadership isn't expired, it might be time to check the sell-by date.

Need help learning how, Find your Design Style & download your report or join us for an Aligned Leader Program.