Leadership with Substance: Why Being “Wishy-Washy” Won’t Work

Leadership with Substance: Why Being “Wishy-Washy” Won’t Work

by | Oct 16, 2024 | Innovation, Inspiration, Practice Leadership

This post is an excerpt from The Significance Project. If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to be part of the community.

You can sign up here.

Title Banner - The Significance Dilemma

In today’s world, leadership of substance is more crucial than ever. But what we are seeing in businesses, universities, religious institutions, and government bodies is alarming: leadership that caves to the loudest voice rather than standing firm on a robust belief system. Leaders are bending to every gust of public opinion, and frankly, I’m thinking, What the f*ck are you doing?

The Risks and Rewards of Standing Firm

Too often, these leaders buckle under pressure from the noisiest group, making disastrous decisions that impact people’s lives in intimate ways. I see leaders walking back their choices, attempting to please both sides of an argument, thinking they can maintain power by keeping everyone happy. They chase after the status of leadership rather than living its substance. This is morally weak leadership. When you are obsessed with the position, but not the values that should anchor that role, your leadership becomes diluted, irrelevant.

There are leaders today who are not rooted in any meaningful belief system, which makes them dangerously susceptible to the whims of popularity. Wishy-washy leadership is dangerous—whether in the public eye, in your relationships, or in your business. It lacks conviction. We are witnessing this all around us, and it’s eroding not only our institutions but our trust in leadership itself. 

There is  a saying: “You can always tell a leader by the arrows in his back.” These arrows are the scars of standing firm in one’s beliefs, even when facing resistance. True leadership isn’t defined by popularity or approval—it’s marked by the willingness to face adversity, criticism, and even hostility in the pursuit of what’s right. Leaders who stand for something substantial inevitably become targets, but that’s exactly what distinguishes them from the rest.

Here’s the thing: When leaders focus solely on securing their position and maintaining their power, they are no longer impressive. Real leadership is about something deeper, something morally-founded. Something significant.

I’ve observed this deterioration for some time, and it fuels my dedication to the work I do. What drives me is the opportunity to collaborate with people who have a strong moral compass and a genuine desire to lead in a way that makes a meaningful impact—both personally and professionally. We need this kind of leadership now more than ever, not for recognition, but to create lasting, positive change in the world.

This is not a challenge for the faint of heart. And it isn’t just for those in formal leadership roles. This is a call to leaders who want to be a force for good and create significant, positive change in the world. The world doesn’t need more figureheads, more “leaders” obsessed with looking the part. The world needs principled individuals who desire to lead more than they desire the title.

Any leader learns along the way how to manage conflicting personalities and competing priorities. It’s part of the game. The trick is to make sure the game isn’t playing you. A diplomatic stance can be essential and it will serve you well; but only if it doesn’t take priority over your moral compass and is, in fact, guided by your moral stance. If you feel the burning inside you or a sense of dissatisfaction, or frustration because you’re not saying what needs to be said, it might be time to re-anchor into what matters to you and your vision. Stop biting your tongue and watering down your decisions. Choose to be a leader of substance, instead.

The Hero’s Journey: A Path of Moral Integrity

There’s a moment on the Hero’s Journey when the hero must make a choice—do they stay true to their calling, even if it means walking a lonely path, or do they let the glittering promises of success seduce them off-course? The dragons and villains in our world are pulling leaders off their moral foundation with the allure of status and recognition. When this happens, purpose grows distant. You no longer make the impact you were meant to make because you’ve traded your values for a seat at the table. You abandon yourself and your vision.

But here’s the truth: real significance in leadership isn’t about being liked or about checking boxes. It’s about conviction. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr wasn’t popular with most of America and even other church leaders in his time, but he was steadfast. He wasn’t wishy-washy. He wasn’t a people-pleaser. He stood firm, even when it was lonely, and that is why he was able to move mountains and create a legacy. 

Many leaders today confuse “aloneness” with loneliness. Standing firm in your beliefs might make you feel isolated, but that’s different from loneliness. It’s the solitude of significance, the place where only a few can stand because they have chosen the morally right, rather than the popular, path. I know it is risky to take a stance – Dr. King certainly paid the ultimate price for it – but most of us aren’t risking life and death when we take an unpopular but necessary stance. The stakes might be high, but they’re not that high (even when it feels like it.)

I’ve had to make hard choices myself, to disrupt relationships and my work in order to stay true to my moral foundation. I had to break the patterns that kept me playing small, because I realized I didn’t want to live in a beige, bland reality. Yes, it seemed easier to live that way, but, for me, it felt meaningless.

As Lin-Manuel Miranda sings in Hamilton: “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?” We have become a society of leaders who fall for everything because they stand for nothing. Leadership today feels like a popularity contest, with leaders more concerned about social media standings than moral standing. But true leadership requires the courage to follow your moral compass, to not be wooed by the fleeting temptations of status and recognition.

 

Finding the Courage to Lead with Integrity

To lead from a place of moral integrity is to know that you will never satisfy everyone. Real integrity is not about being the whole thing for everyone; it’s about being that sharp slice of truth that people can rely on. When you abandon yourself, your leadership is hollow, and when you get to the end of your life, it won’t feel the way you wanted it to.

We are in a time where leadership has become a popularity contest. It’s about shiny things and status and social media standings. But true leadership requires the courage to stand firm in your beliefs, to not be wooed away from your moral compass by the temptations of success.

You can’t stand for your work, your family, or your community if you don’t first stand for yourself. Leadership is about more than popularity—it’s about principles, moral courage, and a True North that guides every decision. Leadership of significance is bold, truthful, and colorful—it’s not watered down to suit everyone’s tastes.

So I’m asking you: Will you stand for your values? Or will you, like so many others, fall for the allure of fleeting success? Because if you don’t stand for something, the world will pull you off course, and in the end, you’ll have nothing of substance to offer.

The world is on fire right now, and it needs you—leaders with integrity, conviction, and a robust belief system. We don’t need more leaders seeking status. We need leaders of substance, leaders who will leave a legacy that actually matters.

“No leader escapes their career unscathed, or perpetually beloved.” But in the end, it’s the leaders with the arrows in their backs who are the ones remembered for making a true difference.

Will you be one of them?

 Reach out if you are ready to lead with substance.

Jen Karofsky | Thought Partner & Coach for Visionary Leaders & Significance Seekers

 Jen Karofsky collaborates with leaders who are ready to disrupt the status quo and craft a life of legacy, deep connection, and purposeful impact. Through intentional coaching and bold thought partnership, Jen Karofsky helps you align your work, your values, and your vision to create transformational change in your world.

Join The Significance Project to redefine success and step into your power.

Join

The Significance Project

My monthly(ish) newsletter for the tools, tips and provocations you need to live your life of significance.

More on the BLG:

For When you Feel Unfulfilled even Though You Seem to Be At The Peak of Success

by | , , ,

If you’re feeling bored, uninspired, or disconnected, you’re not alone. Despite their accomplishments, many high-level, highly knowledgeable leaders grapple with overwhelm, exhaustion, and an undercurrent of dissatisfaction – the very opposite of the life of significance they’re craving. If this is you, you might notice you’re avoiding new ideas, resisting collaboration, or feeling disconnected from the work and people that once sparked joy.

read more

The Brutal Truth About Success and Fulfillment

The Brutal Truth About Success and Fulfillment

by | Sep 19, 2024 | Innovation, Inspiration

This post is an excerpt from The Significance Project. If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to be part of the community.

You can sign up here.

Title Banner - The Significance Dilemma

 Welcome to a profound exploration of success and fulfillment. In a world where achievement is often measured by material gains and social accolades, we are driven to climb higher, earn more, and seek external validation. Yet, this pursuit can lead us into a trap—a seductive illusion that promises significance but often leaves us feeling empty and unfulfilled.

 

The Brutal Truth About Success and Fulfillment

We’ve been fed a lie—a lie that tells us climbing higher, earning more, and achieving external recognition will lead to the impact and significance we’re craving, not to mention lasting fulfillment. It’s a seductive trap, but a trap nonetheless. Decades of research, including the Harvard Study of Adult Development, show that the things we’ve been taught to chase—money, status, and success—pale in comparison to what truly brings deep satisfaction (and happiness). 

So why do we keep letting the world convince us to play the small status quo game instead of doing what it takes to make a big impact and make our visions for our lives and our work real?

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not telling you to sell all your belongings and live off-grid in a yurt. I’m saying that the status quo version of success isn’t big enough for you. It’s not truly success; it’s the illusion of success. Getting off that hamster-wheel and into the game only you can play is how you create a far greater impact while also savouring your rich life. That’s the path to cultivating significance in every area of your life, from your work, to your impact, to your relationships, to the way you experience joy at home.

We hear it all the time—“money doesn’t buy happiness”—but where’s the guidance on what will create deep satisfaction?

Where are the strategies for building a life of high impact and high significance, one that doesn’t just sound good on paper but truly satisfies your soul?

Here’s the truth: Most of us have sacrificed moments of joy, connection, and meaning for achievements that we secretly knew wouldn’t fulfill us. How many times have you let significance slip through your fingers because you were too busy grinding for the next thing? Too busy proving to the world (and maybe yourself) that you’re successful?

Let’s Talk About Pleasure—Real Pleasure

Pleasure has been framed as indulgent, something we should save for “after the work is done.” But what if we’ve had it wrong all along? Pleasure isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. Savoring a meal, laughing with someone you love, feeling the sun on your skin—these aren’t distractions from your goals; they’re the foundation of a life well-lived. They’re also – and this is less well-known – a secret northstar for knowing your next brave move, professionally or personally, to make that big impact you’re envisioning. Joy and pleasure can also be an endlessly renewable source of fuel that propels you forward (they work way better to get you going than stress!). 

Those moments you brush aside because “there’s more work to do” or “it’s not productive enough”—those are the moments that contain information you need to plot your path forward to professional significance and make life rich (personal significance!). And I’m not talking about the fleeting dopamine hit from buying a new car or landing a promotion. I’m talking about the lasting texture, depth, and meaning that come from embracing life’s pleasures.

So Why Do We Keep Making Life So Damn Complicated?

With all the knowledge at our fingertips, why do we keep chasing what society tells us to? Why do we pursue more money, a higher status, and some arbitrary checklist of success when deep down, we know it won’t bring us what we’re truly seeking?

True success isn’t measured by how much you accumulate; it’s about how aligned your life feels with who you truly are. It’s about the impact you make. It’s about the visions you realize. It’s about the depth & intimacy of the relationships you grow. It’s about waking up every day feeling that your life is rich—not because of what’s in your bank account, but because of what’s in your heart.

So here’s the real question: Are you brave enough to cultivate true significance and genuine impact, rather than settling for the status-quo version of success? Are you willing to face judgment, to disrupt your own narrative, and to reclaim what makes you feel truly alive?

What About You?

As you move through this month, I invite you to ask yourself some uncomfortable questions. 

  • What pleasures are you sacrificing in the name of success? 
  • Does success really require less joy and meaning…or could more joy and meaning be fuel for the kind of significant success you’re envisioning?
  • Who or what have you sidelined in your pursuit of more? 
  • And most importantly, are you ready to disrupt the story you’ve been living and discover what will truly make ALL AREAS of your life significant?

This is your opportunity to stop chasing and start cultivating significance, joy, and meaning.

Ready to Step Into the Arena?

This is the work I do in my 1:1 high-proximity coaching where you’ll stop chasing the illusion of success and start creating true significance. These are also the lessons I share in my newsletter, The Significance Project. You can subscribe here or schedule your first call…

…so you can start your journey towards a life of profound impact, rich relationships and deep fulfillment. You know, significance.

Jen Karofsky | Thought Partner & Coach for Visionary Leaders & Significance Seekers

 Jen Karofsky collaborates with leaders who are ready to disrupt the status quo and craft a life of legacy, deep connection, and purposeful impact. Through intentional coaching and bold thought partnership, Jen Karofsky helps you align your work, your values, and your vision to create transformational change in your world.

Join The Significance Project to redefine success and step into your power.

Join

The Significance Project

My monthly(ish) newsletter for the tools, tips and provocations you need to live your life of significance.

More on the BLG:

For When you Feel Unfulfilled even Though You Seem to Be At The Peak of Success

by | , , ,

If you’re feeling bored, uninspired, or disconnected, you’re not alone. Despite their accomplishments, many high-level, highly knowledgeable leaders grapple with overwhelm, exhaustion, and an undercurrent of dissatisfaction – the very opposite of the life of significance they’re craving. If this is you, you might notice you’re avoiding new ideas, resisting collaboration, or feeling disconnected from the work and people that once sparked joy.

read more

The Art of Suffering: How Successful People Master Pain Until They Transcend It

The Art of Suffering: How Successful People Master Pain Until They Transcend It

by | Aug 22, 2024 | Identity Shifts, Inspiration, Practice Leadership

This post is an excerpt from The Significance Project. If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to be part of the community.

You can sign up here.

Title Banner - The Significance Dilemma

Success and leadership often seem glamorous, marked by impressive accomplishments and accolades. But behind the scenes, the people we admire often endure significant challenges and hardships. Many of us have been led to believe that suffering is a key ingredient of success—an idea perpetuated by countless business books and motivational stories. However, the truth is that suffering isn’t a prerequisite for achieving greatness. In fact, it might even undermine your potential.

 

The Fallacy of Suffering Equals Success

It’s a familiar narrative: success requires suffering. We see it in the stories of high achievers who push beyond their limits, often to the point of exhaustion. This valorization of suffering leads us to believe that enduring hardship is not only necessary but a sign of dedication. Our success-driven society often celebrates these suffering success stories, treating them like a recipe for achievement.

But here’s the reality check: the idea that suffering equals success is a myth. While it’s true that achieving something meaningful can be challenging, difficulty doesn’t have to translate into suffering. Suffering involves enduring something we don’t choose, whereas resilience and determination are about choosing to face challenges without unnecessary pain.

 

The Stallion Story: A Lesson in Non-Suffering

To illustrate this concept, consider the Taoist parable of the farmer and his stallion. One day, the farmer’s stallion runs away, prompting his neighbors to express their sympathy, saying, “What bad luck!” The farmer responds with, “Maybe so, maybe not.”

Later, the stallion returns with a herd of wild horses, and the neighbors congratulate the farmer on his good fortune. Again, the farmer replies, “Maybe so, maybe not.” The farmer’s son is injured while taming one of the wild horses, leading to more sympathy from the neighbors. The farmer’s response remains unchanged.

Eventually, the son’s injury turns out to be a blessing in disguise when the army drafts all able-bodied young men, but not him due to his injury.

This story underscores the idea that we can’t always predict the outcome of events. Suffering isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for success, and embracing this perspective can free us from the belief that enduring hardship is a necessary part of the journey.

 

Everyday Examples of Suffering and Success

Let’s explore some common ways that the belief in suffering manifests in our daily lives:

Overworking: You might find yourself working late into the night, thinking that more effort equates to better performance. But when you’re tired, your cognitive abilities are impaired, leading to decreased productivity.

Under-relating: At home, you may be disconnected from loved ones, focusing more on work than on meaningful relationships. This disconnection can erode the authentic connections you seek and damage your personal life.

Bossing: In the workplace, you may micromanage your team because you don’t fully trust them. This can lead to chaos rather than success, as it undermines collaboration and efficiency.

Buffering: You might cope with stress through unhealthy habits, like binge-watching TV or excessive dieting, which can undermine your overall well-being and productivity.

Beating Yourself Up: Many leaders struggle with self-criticism and imposter syndrome. Constantly doubting yourself and striving for perfection can drain your energy and hinder your creativity.

 

The Cost of Embracing Suffering

Believing that suffering is essential for success can have detrimental effects. It often leads to self-sabotaging behaviors that prevent you from achieving your goals and living a balanced life. By equating suffering with success, you may end up overworking, micromanaging, and engaging in negative self-talk, which undermines your potential.

Un-Mastering Suffering

To move towards a Life of Significance, it’s crucial to un-master suffering. Instead of enduring unnecessary pain, view suffering as a clue indicating outdated habits or beliefs. This perspective shift allows you to focus on shape-shifting and transformation, rather than resigning yourself to suffering as a precondition for success.

 

Let’s Start with One Practical Step: Noticing the Suffering

To begin un-mastering suffering you must identify when you are suffering. Here are four ways to begin (yes…I know …I said one step…this is one step…four ways…one step…I know you can get this!)

Pause and Reflect

Take a moment each day to reflect on your experiences and feelings. Ask yourself where you might be experiencing unnecessary discomfort or distress. Are there areas in your work or personal life where you feel a persistent sense of struggle?

Tune Into Your Body

Pay attention to physical sensations. Suffering often manifests in the body—tight shoulders, clenched jaws, or a heavy chest. Notice where you’re holding tension or discomfort. This physical awareness can provide valuable insights into your emotional state.

Define the Suffering

Once you identify where and how suffering is affecting you, try to define it. What specific aspects are causing you pain or distress? Is it related to overworking, under-relating, or negative self-talk? Understanding the nature of your suffering is the first step toward addressing it.

Acknowledge Your Feelings 

Allow yourself to fully experience and acknowledge these sensations without judgment. By recognizing and feeling the suffering, you create space for change and transformation.

 

What This All Means

The idea that success requires suffering is a myth. Embracing this truth can liberate you from the notion that enduring hardship is essential for achievement. By un-mastering the art of suffering, you open yourself up to a life of greater impact, fulfillment, and joy.

If you’re ready to explore this work further and transform your relationship with suffering, consider my 1:1 coaching or council work in The Society. Together, we’ll uncover deeper insights and strategies to help you un-master suffering and achieve a life of greater impact and fulfillment.

Contact me today to learn more about how we can work together to create meaningful change in your life.

Join our community of changemakers and start your journey towards a Life of Significance today.

Jen Karofsky | Thought Partner & Coach for Visionary Leaders & Significance Seekers

 Jen Karofsky collaborates with leaders who are ready to disrupt the status quo and craft a life of legacy, deep connection, and purposeful impact. Through intentional coaching and bold thought partnership, Jen Karofsky helps you align your work, your values, and your vision to create transformational change in your world.

Join The Significance Project to redefine success and step into your power.

Join

The Significance Project

My monthly(ish) newsletter for the tools, tips and provocations you need to live your life of significance.

More on the BLG:

For When you Feel Unfulfilled even Though You Seem to Be At The Peak of Success

by | , , ,

If you’re feeling bored, uninspired, or disconnected, you’re not alone. Despite their accomplishments, many high-level, highly knowledgeable leaders grapple with overwhelm, exhaustion, and an undercurrent of dissatisfaction – the very opposite of the life of significance they’re craving. If this is you, you might notice you’re avoiding new ideas, resisting collaboration, or feeling disconnected from the work and people that once sparked joy.

read more

The Significance Dilemma: Embracing Thought Leadership in Pursuit of a Meaningful Life

The Significance Dilemma: Embracing Thought Leadership in Pursuit of a Meaningful Life

by | Aug 20, 2024 | Innovation, Inspiration, Practice Leadership

This post is an excerpt from The Significance Project. If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to be part of the community.

You can sign up here.

Title Banner - The Significance Dilemma

In the realm of thought leadership, a profound paradox emerges for those who seek to live a life of significance. The challenge lies not just in excelling within the established rules but also in daring to redefine them. This dilemma is central to what I term “Warrior work”—the pursuit of creating impactful and transformative change.

The Existing Game and Its Players

In every field, there are those who navigate the current system with ease. For many, this game is comfortable and familiar; they may not even recognize it as a game. They are content with the status quo because it serves them well. However, for thought leaders, this mere participation is not enough.

The Disruptors: 

Then there are the disruptors. These individuals play the game reluctantly. They recognize its flaws and feel confined by its constraints, yet they struggle to envision an alternative. Their dissatisfaction is palpable, but without a clear path forward, their disruption may not lead to constructive change.

Visionaries and Game-Changers: 

The most intriguing players are the visionaries. They not only understand the game but also see beyond it. These are the thought leaders who don’t just want to play the game better; they aim to create a new one entirely. They recognize the purpose of the existing system and excel within it, but they are driven by a vision for something greater.

The Dual Existence of a Significance Seeker

For those called to be significance seekers, life is a constant balance between two planes: maintaining success in the current paradigm and forging a path toward a new one. This dual existence is a hallmark of true thought leadership. These individuals see the limitations of the status quo and are drawn inexorably toward creating meaningful impact.

The Inner Conflict

Many successful people find themselves wrestling with dissatisfaction despite their achievements. This isn’t a sign of failure but an indication of their potential for thought leadership. It signals a deep-seated desire to contribute to something larger than themselves, to create a legacy that transcends traditional measures of success.

Embracing the Dilemma

The journey towards a life of significance is fraught with contradictions. It requires playing by the rules while simultaneously seeking to rewrite them. This tension is not a barrier but a necessary part of the journey. It fuels the drive to innovate and redefine what success looks like.

To those feeling the pull towards a life of greater significance, know that your time to act is coming. Thought leadership is not just about excelling in the game but about changing it for the better. As you navigate this path, remember that the challenges you face are not obstacles but opportunities to forge a meaningful existence and lead transformational change.

Ready to step into your role as a thought leader and redefine the rules? 

Join our community of changemakers and start your journey towards a Life of Significance today.

Jen Karofsky | Thought Partner & Coach for Visionary Leaders & Significance Seekers

 Jen Karofsky collaborates with leaders who are ready to disrupt the status quo and craft a life of legacy, deep connection, and purposeful impact. Through intentional coaching and bold thought partnership, Jen Karofsky helps you align your work, your values, and your vision to create transformational change in your world.

Join The Significance Project to redefine success and step into your power.

Join

The Significance Project

My monthly(ish) newsletter for the tools, tips and provocations you need to live your life of significance.

More on the BLG:

For When you Feel Unfulfilled even Though You Seem to Be At The Peak of Success

by | , , ,

If you’re feeling bored, uninspired, or disconnected, you’re not alone. Despite their accomplishments, many high-level, highly knowledgeable leaders grapple with overwhelm, exhaustion, and an undercurrent of dissatisfaction – the very opposite of the life of significance they’re craving. If this is you, you might notice you’re avoiding new ideas, resisting collaboration, or feeling disconnected from the work and people that once sparked joy.

read more

I AM HERE FOR THE GRAPPLERS

I AM HERE FOR THE GRAPPLERS

by | Jul 8, 2024 | Announcements, Identity Shifts, Inspiration

This post is an excerpt from The Significance Project. If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to be part of the community.

You can sign up here.

Introduction

Welcome to a deep dive into the growth journey of today’s ambitious leaders. In this latest blog we explore the transformative experiences of individuals who not only pursue professional excellence but also seek profound personal growth. This post sheds light on the dual challenges leaders face when trying to integrate these transformative experiences into their personal lives. Join us as we uncover the traits of ‘grapplers’—resilient warriors who leverage every tool at their disposal to ensure growth permeates every aspect of their lives, fostering richer relationships and a truly impactful existence. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or an aspiring influencer, these insights will guide you toward a more holistic and fulfilling path.

The Grapplers Among Us

In my work with ambitious leaders and founders, I’ve observed a fascinating pattern: a robust growth mindset and a profound love for embracing challenges. These leaders thrive on diving deep into their endeavors, cherishing the transformative magic that such engagement brings. In the professional realm, they are exposed to a myriad of tools and opportunities that not only spark their creativity but also make them feel intensely alive.

These individuals find themselves in professional development groups surrounded by like-minded peers, all engaged in the same pursuit of growth. They begin to speak a common language—the language of expansion.

When in professional expansion mode, these leaders light up; they undergo a transformation, equipped with new tools and a fresh perspective.

The Challenge of Homecoming

However, the return home often presents a stark contrast. At home, leaders find that their closest relationships have not been exposed to the same transformative tools and concepts. Their partners and family members may not speak this new language of growth, making the leaders’ new behaviors feel foreign and disconnected.

This disconnect can lead to several defensive stances:

  • A superiority stance, believing this new way is better.
  • A blaming stance, criticizing others for not embracing growth.
  • An overzealous stance, trying to force new skills on a partner.
  • A withdrawal stance, disconnecting from loved ones, which can leave everyone feeling lost, angry, and confused.

These reactions are not uncommon, yet they do not lead to the fulfilling life most people yearn for—a life of connection, meaningful work, and impactful living.

The Path of the Grappler

You see, grapplers are warriors, they don’t give up easily. They are NOT the ones who think, “Oh, I’m not being met in my growth; I’ll just leave this all behind and find new people.” They want their loved ones to experience the stretch, and they want a wildly engaged relationship with their current person. 

They don’t want to blow up their life; they want to expand it and everyone in it.

This is a piece of The Significance Project that my grapplers take on: How do I grow, gain the skills I need to make more of an impact, and also develop the skills and strategies to have a rich and fulfilling life with the people I love the most? 

They learn how to invite them in. And explore this inquiry together.

Grapplers and warriors will get in the ring—personally and professionally—and wrestle with it rather than walk away. They will gather the tools and find the mentor, mastermind, or methodologies that help them do ALL of it.

Which is an extraordinary feat. It is an act of Significance.

Many coaches and development programs focus on upleveling one domain of your life, not all of them. They are designed that way for a reason. They are valuable and important.

And that’s precisely the reason why grapplers and warriors end up feeling unfulfilled or overdeveloped in one area and underdeveloped in another: the singular focus on personal OR professional growth rather than a more comprehensive whole life. 

That’s why I love the grapplers.  That’s why my work is for the grapplers. 

Because they’re not escape artists; they’re warriors. 

They’re the ones who go all-in, in all the domains, so they can transform everything around them.

Why Focus on Whole Life Growth?

Many development programs focus on enhancing just one area of life—either personal or professional. However, grapplers recognize the limitation of this approach. They understand that true fulfillment comes from growing in all aspects of life, not just one.

Grapplers understand the significance of their growth. They seek to expand their lives and enrich those around them, embracing both personal and professional challenges. They gather tools, find mentors, and engage in masterminds or methodologies that support holistic growth.

That’s why my work is dedicated to grapplers. They are not the ones to retreat or escape when growth becomes challenging; they are the warriors committed to transforming their entire lives.

Let’s change everything.

I’m Jen Karofsky, and I train warriors.

Are you ready to transform your life comprehensively? Explore 1:1 coaching or join The Society™, our exclusive group program for high-level leaders. Learn more and apply here. 

Jen Karofsky | Thought Partner & Coach for Visionary Leaders & Significance Seekers

 Jen Karofsky collaborates with leaders who are ready to disrupt the status quo and craft a life of legacy, deep connection, and purposeful impact. Through intentional coaching and bold thought partnership, Jen Karofsky helps you align your work, your values, and your vision to create transformational change in your world.

Join The Significance Project to redefine success and step into your power.

Join

The Significance Project

My monthly(ish) newsletter for the tools, tips and provocations you need to live your life of significance.

More on the BLG:

For When you Feel Unfulfilled even Though You Seem to Be At The Peak of Success

by | , , ,

If you’re feeling bored, uninspired, or disconnected, you’re not alone. Despite their accomplishments, many high-level, highly knowledgeable leaders grapple with overwhelm, exhaustion, and an undercurrent of dissatisfaction – the very opposite of the life of significance they’re craving. If this is you, you might notice you’re avoiding new ideas, resisting collaboration, or feeling disconnected from the work and people that once sparked joy.

read more