It's Not a Legacy, It's Just Me

There’s a meeting I’ll never forget — one of those weekly project updates where every manager reports progress to a room full of stakeholders.

In theory, these meetings are about alignment and collaboration.
In practice, they often turn into something else.

One person would always dominate the conversation. Every small issue became a dramatic story. Every update, a stage. And somehow, putting others down became the fastest way to sound “important.”

By the time it was my turn, there were two minutes left.
Two minutes to summarize a week’s worth of work.

At first, it frustrated me — the imbalance, the politics, the noise.
But then I realized: those two minutes were actually a gift.

They forced me to distill what mattered.
To speak with precision.
To communicate value, not volume.

Because clarity is leadership in motion.

The truth is, loud voices can take the stage, but they don’t always move the project forward. Good leaders recognize this dynamic — and they intervene. They make space for fairness, structure, and focus. They know that steering a meeting isn’t about control; it’s about clarity and respect for everyone’s time.

Toxic leadership, on the other hand, thrives on chaos — mistaking drama for engagement and spotlight for substance. But that always catches up.

Those two minutes taught me something:
Leadership isn’t about how much you say.
It’s about what remains clear when you’re done speaking.

Clarity over control. Always.

A veces, el liderazgo se mide en dos minutos.
En reuniones donde algunos ocupan todo el espacio con ruido y drama, la verdadera habilidad está en decir lo esencial con precisión y calma.
Un buen líder reconoce cuándo el ego está tomando la palabra y devuelve el enfoque al propósito.
Porque el liderazgo no se trata de hablar más fuerte, sino de dejar más claro.

Want to go deeper? Discover The Catalyst Blueprint — my leadership model for engineers and project managers who lead with heart.

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