There’s so much we wish we could avoid, control, and change. But we are here now. So, let’s see what we can do about it together.

This was almost the end of a true story until a thoughtful group of veterans came together with a local nonprofit and CBS News to make good on America’s promise. They rented a venue right here in Maryland and covered the costs of plane tickets and travel to bring all musicians and interviewees to one place, giving dozens of hardworking, talented student musicians a chance to play the music they had been promised.

I know the feeling of wanting more from a colleague—and the feeling of personally underdelivering. Even when I’ve given something my all, sometimes the results are less than I hoped. Those moments can be defeating, and they can knock us off course. If they happen too often, they’re a certain recipe for job transition. So, I’ve come to navigate these requests differently in recent years.

If you can—and I think you can—see through your promises and your practices. We can't change what others do or choose not to do in their leadership practices, but we can control our daily actions and practices.

Get the practice in. Do the reps. Do the work. Seeing your practice through may be that simple reminder someone needs today to believe in their practice, too.

We may not be able to predict the future or reduce the uncertainty of what’s ahead, but we can remain grounded in the certainty of what’s right in front of us, taking stock of what we know, showing appreciation for who we have, and taking positive action at this moment. You may find that your actions calm someone else’s sense of uncertainty.

No matter the industry or the discipline, whether you work on issues of healthcare or housing, problem-solving is best done when it involves those closest to the problem. And yes, sometimes, the best action is to simply get out of the “dam” way.

Mitch Albom has a way with words. As the author of some of the most beloved and bestselling books of our time, his tales about love, life, and faith help us see better versions of ourselves and our shared humanity. Albom is brilliant at telling stories that let us get lost in words only to find deeper meaning at the end of each story he writes.

These days are hard, for all of us, in many different ways. The best we can do is hold the light we have up for others. Because I promise you this: when you hold your light up for others, you will also feel the benefit of its glow.

Though President Trump was Bishop Mariann's primary audience, was she actually addressing all of us? Was her message a simple reminder—in moments big and small—that grace, compassion, and empathy for one another should guide how we treat one another?

You can choose to lead in this way, regardless of other circumstances. It's about what we choose to do with what we have. Rather than asking, "What does this change mean for us?" consider asking, "What can my leadership in this changing time mean to others?" and then, be that change.

This week's column is as much a call for you as it is for me. We can all benefit from a little more time together. We can all benefit from less phone time and more face time. (And no, the app on your phone does not count.) Because leadership, after all, is best practiced in the present.

Statistically speaking, most people touch their phone screens significantly more times per day than they will reach out and touch each other. We feel for our phones first thing in the morning; just as they are often the last touch before our heads hit the pillow.  

Change is hard, and rightfully so, feels hard when we’re experiencing it. If we can remember to embrace the possibility of what that change can bring, and take that fork in the road, you might find some good in the process, too.

There are no shortage of issues working to pull us apart. Consider where you can get closer to people experiencing and impacted by those issues and see what it does for you as a result.

So, in this season of gratitude, during this long fall holiday weekend, around a table and elsewhere, I will count my blessings for you. I will practice gratitude for the gifts before me and the values worth working for. As we know, to move forward from this time, we need a willingness to work, a willingness to close divides, and a willingness to come together. Because together is the best direction to go.

AI is most powerful when used to augment and enhance human intelligence rather than replace it. While the use of AI in communication moving forward is inevitable, it is only human to have a brain, a heart, and a conscience. If you want to distinguish between real and fake, look for the human between the words.

On a morning like this, it is easy to feel either frozen by the news or fried by the arduous election process. Choose carefully what you say today and, in the days to follow. There is no going back and today, you can choose to move forward.
 

There’s no use predicting what may lie ahead in the coming weeks, so focus on what you can control: being the calm in the storm for your team and community.

Every day brings with it a new opportunity to take action: to say something if we see something and to act in service of people and the planet. Because if you don’t act when you see the fog rising, what can you expect other than disaster? 

The late civil rights leader Vincent Harding posed and lived a question, “Is America possible?” He wondered whether America's noble experiment in creating a multiracial democracy could work. Before he died in 2014, he was asked if he thought it was still possible to create a democracy that worked for all of us. He answered, “Yes, but only as we make it possible.” I believe we can, and the people joining us today in conversation are proving it.