I’ve watched influence erode not through conflict, but through absence. When leaders choose not to be at the table, decisions still move forward, just without their voice shaping the outcome.

A cluster of mushrooms reminded me that real growth happens long before it’s visible. Leadership works the same way. What looks sudden from the outside is often the result of patient, unseen effort building beneath the surface.

Leadership under pressure often exposes what we are willing to bend. I’ve seen accommodation slip into coercion, and why holding the line calmly often matters more than giving in for short-term relief.

Scott Adams’ passing is the closing of a chapter in work culture. Through Dilbert, he reflected workplace truths with restraint and clarity. The humour still lands, the insights resonate, and the mirror he held up to organisations remains in place.