I lived in Switzerland during business school.

One thing that happens when you live there: you become a little obsessed with luxury watches. They’re everywhere — posters in the airport, friends comparing collections. I still remember the tagline from one ad: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.” (All I see when I read that is ka-ching!)

So, as one does, I picked out my dream watch — not a Patek, but still one I promised myself I’d buy when I “made it.”

And then the Apple Watch came out.

And... I liked it. Better.

I liked that it reminded me to move, that it nudged me when a call came in, that it supported me in the ways I could use a boost. I forgot all about the luxury watch.

But when I was back in Switzerland recently, I remembered it. I even went to look at it. And it was… fine. But it had lost its luster — metaphorically, of course. It did still glisten.

What changed wasn’t the watch. It was me.
What mattered to me had shifted. Where I was in life, it wasn’t success I wished to signal (if only to myself) — it was support I wanted to feel.

What we value most isn’t fixed. It evolves as we do.

That shift doesn’t just happen in our personal lives.
I’ve seen the same thing play out inside teams and companies: clinging to past successes, inherited goals, or outdated assumptions — even when they’ve quietly stopped serving the people they were built for.

Leadership is the willingness to ask:

Not what looked good five years ago (or heck, five months ago with the rate of change we're facing). What matters now — to our people, our purpose, and the direction we’re trying to go.

When we’re deciding what to invest in next — as individuals or as organizations — the key is getting clear on what actually matters now.

Because here’s the truth:

Uncovering what matters most can be surprisingly hard to do. The real challenge is often this: more than one thing truly matters, but they pull in different directions.

But that’s the work.

The benefit? The right choice often becomes obvious once we know what we’re actually choosing it for.

Liminal space — whether in our lives or in leadership — is one of the best times to ask what matters most.
Because we’re not locked in.
Because we can turn in many directions.
Because we have the chance to ask whether the path we were on is still the one we want to follow.

There’s a luxury to this time (pun absolutely intended), if we choose to see it that way.

This week, try this.

As always, start small — and with what’s actually in your control.
Before your next low-stakes decision — what to eat for dinner, where to focus your energy at work today, or (perhaps most importantly) what to watch on Netflix — pause and ask:

Not to your past self. Not to anyone else. To you, now.

It’s trickier than it looks — and that’s exactly the point.

Let that answer guide you:

➡️ Pick your next movie based on whether you need to laugh or cry.
➡️ Choose your next meal based on whether you want company (a bustling restaurant) or solitude (a quiet night in).
➡️ Tackle your next task based on whether you’re feeling creative or need a quick win.

Because once you start practicing the question — “what matters now?” — it gets easier to hear the answer.
In your life. In your leadership. And everywhere in between.

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Know someone leading through change — or rethinking what really matters?
Pass this along. In uncertain times, clarity about what matters now is a strategic advantage.

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And if you’re navigating competing pulls — when everything matters, but in different directions — that’s a signal it’s time for support.​
This is where I do my best work, with individuals and with organizations. Find me here:

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