Professional Drift: The Hidden Cost of Being ‘Busy’ in Leadership

Have you ever felt like something was off in your professional life, despite outward success? You're hitting deadlines, showing up where decisions are made, but inside, something feels missing. This creeping disconnect is what I call "professional drift" — and it might be the biggest unrecognized threat to your leadership impact today.

Professional drift isn't burnout. You're still functioning, but you're not flourishing. You're engaged but not energized, producing but not progressing. It's that slow, almost imperceptible slide away from purpose that happens when we become untethered from what truly matters to us. For high-achievers, this drift can go unnoticed for months or even years because our instinct when feeling off-track is simply to work harder.

In this deeply personal episode, I share my own journey through professional drift — how I found myself "mad, miserable, and medicated" despite appearing successful on paper. I reveal the wake-up call that helped me realize I had more control than I thought and how this realization led to the development of the Clarity Compass framework. This powerful tool helps leaders navigate out of drift through five essential questions that reconnect you with purpose and direction.

Professional drift isn't just a personal issue; it's organizational. When you as a leader drift, so do your teams. Priorities blur, performance suffers, and retention becomes challenging. What appears as a strategy problem is often, at its core, a clarity problem. The good news? You're not alone, and you're not stuck. Your first step out of drift is simply naming it, then pausing to ask what truly matters now. Ready to stop drifting and start leading with clarity? Listen now, and discover how to make your next clear move toward the impact you're meant to have.