The Leadership Edge Newsletter

Clarity. Focus. Momentum. The Leadership Edge newsletter gives you tools and insights to get unstuck and lead with greater impact—no matter your circumstances.

A simple way to break the cycle of polarization

Hi friends, I often work with leaders who feel like they’re carrying a silent weight. They can name all the symptoms—strained relationships, stalled initiatives, cultures that feel heavier than they should—but they can’t quite put their finger on the cause. And because they can’t name it, they fe...

by Jared Oates — Dec 02, 2025

Paradox-Awareness Is A Superpower

Hi friends, Today’s a big day. After years of work, my new book, Tension—Mastering the Superpower of Paradox-Aware Leadership, officially launches. My publisher, Ignite Press, is offering the Kindle edition for just 99¢ for today only, and I’d be grateful if you grabbed a copy. Here's the link fo...

by Jared Oates — Nov 18, 2025

Paradox-aware leaders are rare. Are you one of them?

Hi Every leader at some point feels trapped by an impossible choice.Push for results or protect your people.Cut spending or make a bold investment.Be patient or act now. These decisions feel like either/or crossroads, but they’re really invitations—to think differently. Compromise, as it’s commo...

by Jared Oates — Nov 11, 2025

When innovation and reliability pull in opposite directions

If you’ve ever tried to modernize something that’s working “just fine,” you know this common pattern: You can see the need for change. Everyone agrees, in theory. But the moment you start moving fast, someone reminds you that failure isn’t an option. I saw this up close when we worked with public...

by Jared Oates — Nov 04, 2025

The World Was Always VUCA

If you’ve ever led a team through chaos—your market collapsing, your product disrupted, your plans unraveling, or your best person leaving mid-project—then you know what VUCA is. Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. The world may be more VUCA than it used to be. Technology change, ...

by Jared Oates — Oct 28, 2025

The surprising joy hidden inside impossible problems

Have you ever felt stuck between two things that both have to be true? You know—the kind of tension that feels unsolvable because if you satisfy one side, you disappoint the other. When Jeromy Wilson and I were building Niche Academy, we lived in that tension. We wanted to be a scalable SaaS comp...

by Jared Oates — Oct 21, 2025

Feeling stuck? Here are five steps to find what you’re neglecting (and why).

Is there any aspect of your work where the results you want seem persistently out of reach? Does it feel like your circumstances prevent your progress and even your best efforts don't seem to be making a difference? You're not alone. Here’s the short insight: when results stall, it’s because some...

Oct 14, 2025

When progress stalls, focus beats friction.

If you’ve ever sat at your desk with twelve important things staring back at you — all urgent, all overdue — you know that particular brand of leadership fatigue. It’s the kind that comes not from laziness, but from caring about too many things at once. When everything feels equally important, no...

Oct 07, 2025

The Leadership Edge Newsletter

Clarity. Focus. Momentum. The Leadership Edge newsletter gives you tools and insights to get unstuck and lead with greater impact—no matter your circumstances.