THE VIOLET VIEW

JUNE 2025 | ISSUE NO. 12

Here's your latest Violet View—bringing you actionable leadership insights that cut through the noise.

Hi there, it's Stefanie (President of TVG)—back with your monthly dose of leadership insight.

This month, I’m reflecting on an important question: How do you lead when everything feels like it’s going off the rails?

You know the kind of week I’m talking about.

The one where everything that can go wrong… seemingly does.

In May, I traveled for two weeks:

Week one was a long-awaited vacation with my partner.

Week two was onsite delivery with a client.

All was going smoothly—until it wasn’t.

A nearly missed international flight.

A hotel reservation gone wrong.

Project timelines shifting in real time.

Work fire drills needing immediate attention.

A family emergency.

And to top it off, a flight home canceled in the middle of the night.

You could say, “That’s life”—and it is.

But there’s a difference between a week with challenges and a week that feels relentless.

The question isn’t whether these moments will happen. They will.

The more prudent question is: How do you equip yourself to lead through them?

Here’s what I’ve learned—through lived experience, guidance from my trusted advisors, and years of coaching leaders through high-pressure, high-stakes moments:

1. Triage like an ER. Ruthlessly prioritize. Cut what can wait. Focus on what's urgent and critical.
2. Be prescriptive. This isn't a time for consensus. Offer clear direction and expectations.
3. Zoom out. Pressure can shrink your field of vision. I remind myself: this week is only a snapshot of a big, full life.
4. Ask for help. These are not solo missions. Rally your resources. Vent to a trusted peer. Delegate what you can.
5. Find the humor. Laugh at the absurdity. It helps.
6. Back to basics. Water. Movement. Connection with people who fill your cup. The fundamentals matter even more when things feel chaotic.
7. Find a song that re-energizes you. My current? Keeping Your Head Up by Birdy. Does the trick every time.
8. Reflect after the storm. What worked? What didn't? What will you carry forward? 

I'd love to hear from you:

How do you lead through the weeks that test your patience, your time, and your focus?

📸 A quiet moment on our holiday in Spain. Because even in the chaos, there was beauty, too. It’s always both/and, isn’t it?

What We’re Teaching: The Confidence Dip is Normal 

If you’ve ever felt less confident the more you’ve learned—know this: it’s not failure. It’s progress.

In our recent session on self-awareness and self-management, we taught the Dunning-Kruger Effect—a cognitive bias where confidence is highest when awareness is lowest.

At first, you don’t know what you don’t know. That ignorance can feel… empowering.

Then comes the dip—when awareness increases and confidence often drops.

It’s not a red flag. It’s a sign of growth.

It means you’re starting to ask better questions, see more complexity, and develop the kind of self-awareness strong leadership demands.

If you’re in the dip, keep going. It means you’re moving forward.

From the Blog: Skill-Building that Really Sticks

Leadership development is critical—but too often, it’s a one-and-done event that doesn’t create lasting change.

In this month’s blog, Stefanie shares how we approach leadership development differently at TVG—starting with a core belief: real change requires intentional design.

You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at a global client case study and the science-backed principles that made their training stick.

Summer Intern Spotlight 🗣️

We care deeply about growing the next generation of leaders. One way we do this is through internships that offer hands-on experience and mentorship.

A big warm welcome to Riley Lepley! She is a senior at the University of Georgia, double majoring in Psychology and Finance.

At TVG, she'll gain exposure to leadership consulting, apply psychological principles to real-world challenges, build professional communication skills, and learn what high-impact client work looks like.

Spotlight: The Human Rights Campaign 🏳️‍🌈

SHRM ‘25 is Here—What Do You Want to Know?

After months of prep, SHRM25 is here—and we’re heading to San Diego to join thousands of HR, L&D, and talent professionals from around the globe.

We’ll be tracking trends, soaking up insights, and sharing what we learn in the next issue.

Is there something you’d love for us to pay attention to?

→ Hit reply and let us know what’s on your radar—from hot topics to leadership trends to what people really care about in 2025.

Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn for real-time updates from the floor.

Until then...happy listening, learning, and leading, TVG community!

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