“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness…” An often-quoted passage from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, that can describe the world today.

Which city do you want to live in? It’s about conscious leadership and deciding who you are and how you want to find meaning and contribute regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in.

As a leader it’s easy to show up and lead when things are going well. As Jack, one of my former IBM colleagues, always said, “That is not leading. That is going with the flow downriver. True leadership shows up during tough times, when you have to stake a claim and maybe make an unpopular decision, or when you have to set a direction when the future is uncertain.”

We all have stories we tell ourselves. This is our self-image. We all have stories others tell about us. This is our reputation. Sometimes we internalize not helpful stories others tell about us, and sometimes we need to allow others to know more of who we are or hear feedback on what they have to say.