🎥 Sunday Reset | 24 Aug 2025
What Serena Williams and Lewis Hamilton Know That Most Leaders Forget
It’s not their skill. It’s not their resources.
It’s this: They sharpen before they swing.

Simon Sinek tells a story I can’t get out of my head.
Two lumberjacks.
One swings his axe non-stop, all day.
The other? He takes breaks. Pauses. Sharpens his axe.

Guess who cuts more wood?
The one who stepped back.

That’s today’s reset.
Because in leadership, and in life, the pause isn’t wasted time.
It’s an investment.

And if you don’t know by know, during the week, I work with boards and leaders on some of the toughest challenges around AI, governance, and transformation.
But right now? I’m by the coast with my boy Rocky - we just spent 8am to 11am walking and running by the coast. Now we have brunch and write this as wait for our delicious meal.

See, all of this isn’t theory for me. This reset matters.
It clears my head. Resets my energy. And reminds me of a truth most leaders forget:

When you step back, you come back sharper.

And while we’re here, let’s talk about the ONE principle every champion say from Serena Williams to Lewis Hamilton -shares:

Self-belief.

Not hype. Not blind optimism.
The quiet conviction that:
✅ I can figure this out.
✅ I deserve this win.
✅ I am the kind of person who makes it happen.

“Victory begins in the mind long before the battle is seen.” -Stoic Principle

As Maya Raichoora puts it, self-belief rests on three traits:
1. Self-efficacy: Believing you can do it. Or you’ll figure it out.
2. Self-worth: Knowing you deserve the good stuff: success, joy, big wins.
3. Self-identity: Not hoping, but knowing you’re built for this.

Without it? You stall. You sabotage.
With it? You lead with calm confidence, even when the stakes are high.

So here’s your challenge this week:
Take 10 minutes. Or two hours.
Pause. Breathe.
Sharpen your axe.
Then ask yourself:
“What would it look like if I believed I was built for this?”

Because chances are, you are!

Ease isn’t weakness.
It’s power.
And it might just be the edge that gets you 10x results in the boardroom, the exec session, or that tense project meeting.

So this week: sharpen your axe, trust your alignment, and move forward with clarity.

🎥 I break it all down in this week’s Sunday Reset video. Watch it. Take it in. Share it with someone who needs the reminder (because I was reminded..)

I’m Steven.
Keep growing. Keep leading.
Until next Sunday
Let’s get it!!