The 10-Minute Leadership Reset: A Daily Practice to Stay Grounded

Why a Leadership Reset Matters

Leadership moves fast — sometimes faster than your ability to process it. Decisions, conversations, emails, expectations, pressure… they stack up before lunch. And if you’re not careful, you start leading on autopilot instead of leading with intention.

And autopilot leadership causes problems:

• You react instead of respond.

• You miss signals from your team.

• You mistake movement for progress.

• You lose sight of what actually matters.

A 10-minute leadership reset brings you back to clarity, presence, and purpose — the foundation of every great leader. This isn’t self-care. This is leadership maintenance.

The 10-Minute Leadership Reset

Find a quiet spot — your office, your car, a hallway, or your favorite corner of the building. Then work through these four steps.

1. Slow down your breathing (1 minute)

You cannot lead well if your mind is racing. Breathe in slowly, breathe out slowly, and let your brain catch up.

This resets your nervous system and gets you out of reaction mode.

2. Review the last few hours honestly (3 minutes)

Ask yourself:

• Did I show up like a leader today or just a task manager?

• Did I encourage excellence… or just push for speed?

• Did I build trust… or damage it?

• Did I listen?

This is the self-awareness piece. You cannot fix what you refuse to acknowledge.

3. Identify the ONE thing that truly matters today (3 minutes)

Your day has a thousand moving parts. Your leadership has one priority: move the team forward.

Ask: “If I only accomplish one leadership action today, what would have the greatest impact?”

Maybe it's a conversation, a direction, clarity for your team, coaching someone who needs it, or stopping a problem before it grows.

Leaders simplify. Leaders clarify. Leaders prioritize.

4. Re-enter leadership mode with purpose (3 minutes)

Don’t drift back into your day.

Decide:

• Who needs your leadership?

• What tone do you want to set?

• What standard needs reinforcing?

• What excellence needs celebrating?

Then walk back in with intention — not noise.

Why This Works

Because leadership is not about having more time. It’s about having more clarity.

A reset:

• protects your mindset

• sharpens your decision-making

• improves communication

• strengthens relationships

• and stops small problems from turning into major issues

And you can do all of it in ten minutes — less time than it takes to scroll your phone.

A Final Leadership Thought

You don’t become a better leader by accident. You become a better leader on purpose — one intentional reset at a time.

Share this post with someone whose leadership would shine even brighter with a 10-minute daily reset. Pointing out someone’s strengths is one of the easiest ways to encourage growth — and one of the fastest ways to build trust.

If you liked this, you’ll love our microlearning workbook: Your Leadership Approach — a practical guide to defining how you lead and how you want to show up every day.