Blog Navigation: Business Insights and Spotlights | Chamber Blog
08.12.25
The Compass Within: Reclaiming Your Voice, Vision, Values and Vitality
By Nicolette Bresnahan, Senior Vice President, FMWF Chamber
Kristi Huber speaks during a Women Connect session about reclaiming your voice, vision, values and vitality.
Discover how to navigate leadership drift by reclaiming your voice, vision, values and vitality, and realign with what matters most.
When you’re lost in the woods—literally or metaphorically—a map won't save you. You need a compass.
At July’s Women Connect event, Reclaiming Yourself in Leadership: From Quiet Drift to Radical Clarity™ , Kristi Huber didn’t just name the problem. She handed us the tools to navigate what she calls Leadership Drift. She provided a soul-searching framework to help leaders realign with what matters most in leadership and life. (Want to learn more about Leadership Drip? Explore the first blog in this three-part series here.)
Leadership drift is subtle. It doesn’t show up in dramatic exits or catastrophic failures. It shows up in silence. In going through the motions. In that quiet voice inside asking, How did I get here?
Recognizing the drift is only part of the journey. The real work is finding your way back, reclaiming clarity, finding direction and creating connection by tuning into the compass within.
Radical Clarity: The Four Markers on the Compass
Kristi’s Radical Clarity framework is made up of four markers, each offering a checkpoint when leadership feels misaligned or overwhelming:
Voice: Are you showing up with authenticity, or shrinking in moments that matter? Your voice is more than words; it’s how you show up. Boldly. Authentically. Without Apology.
Vision: Are you chasing someone else’s definition of success? Think back to what you once dreamed of and ask if the current path still honors that dream.
Values: Are your daily decisions aligned with who you are today? Or are you following outdated “success scripts” that no longer serve you?
Vitality: Are you protecting your energy or pouring from an empty cup? Exhaustion is not a badge of honor. It’s a warning light.
Kristi brought this home with a story from a past leadership retreat. One where she had to complete unfamiliar physical challenges in unfamiliar territory. It became a clear metaphor: In leadership, we often navigate the unknown without a map, carrying too much, and pretending we’re fine. Sound familiar?
Don’t Ignore the Signal
If you feel disconnected, overwhelmed or uncertain, it might not be your job, your team or your to-do list. If you stop long enough to tune in, your internal compass will guides you back. You just need to check in.
Check in.
Choose one of the four compass points to start: Voice, Vision, Values or Vitality. Then reflect:
- What feels out of sync right now?
- What’s one small adjustment that could bring you back into alignment?
If this message resonated, don’t stop here.
Dive into what success really means, and how to rebuild it on your own terms in part 3 of this blog series, Redefining Success: Leading Yourself First.
Join the Next Conversation
In August, architect and workplace strategist Tracy Jordre will take the conversation further, showing how we can build clarity and resilience through personal adversity.
Women Connect: The Architecture of Resilience
Tuesday, Aug. 26 | 3:30 to 5 p.m. | Armory Event Center, Moorhead
You’ll leave with strategies to navigate challenges, advocate for yourself and create workplaces that support well-being from the inside out.
Register now and continue your journey back to the leader you were meant to be.
SHARE
More Stories
Upcoming Events
Subscribe to email newsletters