Dr. Matt Paden
There’s no such thing as a perfect day, but leaders need more great days — days marked by clarity, connection and meaningful contribution. These days don’t happen by accident; they’re built with intention.
Late one Sunday night, I received an email from a successful business leader in Nashville. He was energized, hopeful, and eager to talk about the future of his company. By Monday morning, we had a quick call and scheduled a meeting for Wednesday to explore new growth strategies. His excitement was contagious.
But less than 24 hours later, he canceled.
Concerned, I called him that afternoon. The voice that had been so full of optimism the day before was now heavy and defeated. He explained that his most trusted team member had unexpectedly announced she was moving out of state and leaving the company. The news had blindsided him.
Then he said something that stopped me cold: “It’s been a really bad day. Maybe I should just sell the business instead of dealing with this.”
Just like that, the bright future he had envisioned turned into a fog of uncertainty. The roller coaster of leadership had taken another sharp turn, and he was growing weary of the ride.
I’ve seen this story play out many times. Leadership is complex, messy and often lonely. And for learning and development (L&D) leaders, the challenge is even sharper: How do we equip our managers to not only perform, but also to build more “great days” for themselves and their teams? Despite the glorification of leadership in books, podcasts and social media, the truth is many leaders have more bad days than good ones. And very few are stringing together great days in a row.
The consequences stretch beyond the leader. When leaders feel drained, disconnected or stuck, it affects:
This isn’t anecdotal. According to a 2022 Deloitte survey, nearly 70% of executives said they were considering leaving their jobs for roles that better support their well-being. And Gallup has found that managers account for about 70% of the variance in team engagement. Leaders’ bad days ripple outward. This is where L&D professionals play a critical role. If leaders influence 70% of engagement, then leadership development isn’t a “nice to have,” it is one of the primary levers for organizational health and performance.
Many leaders today are really struggling, not because they lack talent, commitment or vision, but because the day-to-day reality of leadership has become increasingly difficult to navigate. The path forward often feels foggy, and the joy that once fueled their work is harder to find.
Several factors contribute to this struggle:
There’s no such thing as a perfect day, but leaders need more great days — days marked by clarity, connection and meaningful contribution. These days don’t happen by accident; they’re built with intention.
For L&D leaders looking to build this into leadership development programs, here are practical anchors to support leaders in creating more great days, both for themselves and their teams:
Leadership isn’t just about outcomes; it’s about influence and the creation of value. At Great Days Leadership, we’ve seen that sustainable leadership begins with leaders who regularly experience more great days and who create the conditions for their teams to do the same.
For example, organizations we work with have seen meaningful shifts by integrating short, weekly leadership reflection practices, monthly peer coaching circles and strengths-based leadership assessments into their development tracks. When leaders are supported with structured rhythms and space to process, their capacity increases, and so does the quality of their days and their team’s experience.
The stakes are too high to settle for survival. L&D professionals have a unique opportunity to shape not only leaders’ competencies, but their experience of leadership itself. When training programs intentionally cultivate the capacity for “great days,” leaders stay longer, thrive more and pass that strength on to their teams. Our organizations, our people and our communities need leaders committed to building more great days.
Moving from guesswork to insight transforms the way you recruit, develop players, and build teams. By combining behavioral science, data, and intentional communication systems, we have learned that you don’t have to guess who will respond, lead, or thrive under pressure. When you truly understand what drives people, you coach with confidence — and confidence wins.
School leadership can feel lonely, relentless, and emotionally draining. The constant weight of decisions, crises, and expectations often leaves principals isolated and exhausted — and research shows that stress and isolation are driving many leaders out of the profession. But the “island effect” doesn’t have to define the role.
Leadership can be lonely. Whether you're navigating a daunting crisis, preparing for a high-stakes conversation, or making a call that carries real weight, the truth is: decision-making gets harder the higher you climb. You carry the vision, the pressure, and the consequences. And often, there’s no one around who truly gets the complexity of what you're holding. That’s where we come in.