Have you ever walked away from a conversation as a leader feeling like it was a complete failure? Maybe it didn't produce the outcome you needed, or you lost your footing in the middle of it. Maybe it escalated beyond anything you expected.
And then the next day, you replay it. Over and over. Sometimes all week.
Or maybe the stakes were even higher, a critical project that went sideways, and you carry it for months.
The story of the band Rush might be able to help. It's about second chances.
In 2015, Rush retired from touring after a 40-year career with the same three members throughout: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. They held themselves to a standard of excellence until the very end.
I remember how I felt at my last show. Rush had been the soundtrack to my life since I was 14. When that final note rang out, the sadness was immeasurable.
I always held out hope they would reemerge somehow. That dream ended when Neil Peart died of brain cancer in 2020. In the years that followed, Geddy and Alex said repeatedly and without hesitation that Rush was over.
It took me a long time to accept that. But eventually I did. That chapter of my life was closed for good, and it broke my heart.
Then everything changed in a single day. Geddy and Alex announced they were going back on tour, with a remarkable and relatively unknown drummer named Anika Niles. I could hardly believe it. Geddy said simply: “Music outlives tragedy.” They were ready to play again.
I saw the show on June 11 in Los Angeles and was blown away. Not only did they sound extraordinary, but they smiled more than I had ever seen them smile. Their joy was contagious. They got their second chance.
And so do we.
Whatever mistakes we make in leadership or in life, there is always an opportunity to begin again. Rather than replaying the same difficult conversation on a loop, consider how you might approach it differently next time. Learn a new communication skill. Take accountability for a misunderstanding. Give yourself permission to start over.
That is what leadership is. Self-awareness and self-compassion in equal measure.
What can you take a second chance on today?