This morning it was 18 degrees outside.

Schools are adjusting schedules. Offices are empty or half full. Many people are working from home, watching the weather, waiting for conditions to improve. And that makes complete sense.

Leadership, however, does not get a weather delay.

One of the hardest truths about leadership is that not every decision will make everyone happy. In fact, if every decision does, it is usually a sign that the easy choices are being prioritized over the necessary ones.

In uncertain moments, whether caused by weather, economic conditions, or public pressure, people naturally look for comfort and clarity. Leaders feel that pressure acutely. There is a temptation to slow down, to wait, to postpone decisions until conditions feel more favorable or reactions feel more predictable.

But leadership does not pause just because circumstances are uncomfortable.

Some decisions must be made while conditions are less than ideal. Some conversations have to happen before everyone agrees they should. And some paths forward will frustrate people who would have preferred a different outcome, or no outcome at all.

That does not mean those decisions were careless or dismissive. Often it means they were made with a longer view in mind.

In roles like ours, serving businesses, communities, and partners across a region, decisions are rarely about a single moment. They are about positioning for what comes next. That means balancing competing priorities, weighing imperfect options, and accepting that consensus is not always possible.

There will always be voices that prefer delay. Others will want immediate action in a different direction. Both perspectives matter. Neither can be the sole driver.

Leadership requires choosing anyway.

It requires being willing to take responsibility for decisions that may not be popular in the moment, but are necessary for stability, progress, and long-term health. It also requires the humility to listen, explain, and adjust when new information warrants it.

Extreme weather eventually passes. Uncertainty eventually shifts. What remains is whether leadership showed up when it was needed.

Not every decision will make everyone happy. But avoiding decisions altogether rarely makes anything better.