If you’re an executive, there might be a time when you find yourself showing up on edge. You feel burned out, frustrated, and confused. The symptoms are familiar: You take longer to make decisions that typically come easily to you. You find it harder to move your team. Your instincts—once your superpower—start to misfire. Naturally, you start to wonder if you’re losing your touch.

But what if, instead of breaking down, you’re shedding?

We often imagine leadership development as a ladder—from novice to expert, beginner to master. But in practice, it’s more like biology than business school. Leaders molt. They evolve through distinct stages of identity and presence—shedding strategies that no longer serve them, and emerging into new shapes that fit the future more precisely.

In entomology

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