As we move through this tumultuous spring, I am hearing a great deal about people experiencing a combination of unrealistic personal expectations related to their home life, and unrealistic professional expectations related to their job. At the same time, these same individuals are experiencing unexpected and unexplained shifts in their role and responsibilities at work, which also significantly impacts their personal and home life. This, in combination, with a general lack of behavioral consistency and predictability by their supervisor/manager, coupled with regular set-backs, and debilitating criticism has resulted in a total lack of trust and confidence in themselves, their team, and their supervisor. In short, a great many people are struggling, and are looking for answers, insights, and perspective.
From my vantage point, all of this signals, on one level, that individually and collectively we are living through a sentinel event, or a series of sentinel events. Referencing the world of healthcare, there are two kinds of events, namely an adverse event and a sentinel event. An adverse event is any unwanted incident causing a patient harm, ranging from minor to severe. A sentinel event, on the other hand, is a specific, severe subset of adverse events that results in death, permanent harm, or severe temporary harm. In particular, a sentinel event signals the failure of a critical system or systems, and results in an immediate and thorough investigation, namely a root cause analysis.
With all of this in mind, we need to understand that all sentinel events are adverse, but not all adverse events are sentinel. Sentinel events, in particular, are so serious that they “sentinel” (warn) of major problems. Tasha Eurich in her book, Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos (And why resilience alone isn’t enough) (Little, Brown Spark, 2025), writes, “… sentinel events are unmistakable warnings that force us to confront the true toll of our shadows, prompting a shift in strategy to prevent anything similar from happening in the future.” She further explains that a sentinel event can result in “a singular moment of clarity where we chose to become an active participant in our own lives.”
What I am hearing about on a regular basis right now is a diversity of people coming to a singular moment of clarity, and then choosing to become more active rather than reactive to the choices being made around them at work, and also choosing to become more active rather than reactive about how they want to live their life as a whole. Instead of settling for a whatever perspective to living, they are coming to an understanding that they need to create a life that meets their needs at work and at home. For some, this begins with a deep re-evaluation of whether or not they should continue working with their current employer. It also includes a great deal of reflection about their physical, emotional, and mental health.
Rather than waiting for a “severe subset of adverse events that results in death [of self, marriage, or critical relationships], permanent harm, or severe temporary harm [to self, marriage, or critical relationships],” these individuals are pausing to reconsider how to move beyond the current dysfunctionality that surrounds them, and the resulting default choices that are happening within them, in order to make smarter and healthier choices from a whole life perspective. In essence, they are moving from the illusion of control to the reality of needing to create inner/outer alignment.
When I have visited with individuals who find themselves in this situation, I encourage them to find the answers to the following three questions:
- What will make your life better this week? This month? This quarter?
- What can you do to maximize your mental and physical health?
- What are the things that bring you meaning and fulfillment at work, and in the rest of your life?
I recognize that by answering these three questions, other questions will emerge. Nevertheless, these three questions are a good beginning.
Lindsay Leahy in her book, Take It All Apart: How to Live, Lead, and Work with Intention (River Grove Books, 2024), writes: “We lead with who we are, so to be a good leader, whether in our families, workplaces, or communities, we have to do the deep exploration and healing work to become our best selves.” And she continues, “We can’t step into what’s next if we’re still holding tightly to what was.”
Choosing to create a new and better life is big work and hard work. It takes faith, commitment, and discipline. But, when a singular moment of clarity arises, and we choose to become an active participant in our own lives, amazing and important things will follow.
So, this week, and during the next 90 days, listen to the unmistakable warning signs all around you and within you. Then, choose to do the work of discovering a new and better path for living and working.
© Geery Howe 2026
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