Every morning on my walks around the lakes of Minneapolis, I hear them before I see them — Canada geese, calling across the sky as they practice their formations.
It’s a familiar autumn ritual: the rehearsals before migration.
They aren’t leaving just yet, but they know what’s coming. Instinctively, they begin to prepare. Their “flight training” sessions build strength, rhythm, and unity for the long journey south. Each bird takes a turn at the front of the V, bearing the brunt of the wind. Then another moves forward to lead while the others rest in the draft. No one flies solo for long — and no one is left behind.
There’s something profoundly instructive in that image for leaders today.
Preparation Is the Hidden Discipline of Leadership
Unlike the geese, we don’t always heed the internal signals that it’s time to prepare for what’s next. We stay grounded longer than we should, convincing ourselves that our current altitude will carry us another season.
But the truth is, the winds of the workplace are shifting again. Economic uncertainty, leadership turnover, and federal workforce attrition are reshaping the professional landscape. Many executives are quietly realizing that their LinkedIn profile — if it’s been updated at all — reflects the professional they used to be, not the leader they’ve since become. When the next opportunity calls, will your brand be flight-ready?
Visibility Requires Formation — and Community
Just as geese rotate leadership within the V, successful leaders know when to take point and when to draft behind others’ momentum. Visibility doesn’t mean always leading the conversation — it means being in formation with others who lift you higher.
That’s why professional community matters. When we learn together, share insights, and hold one another accountable, we conserve energy and build endurance for the long haul. No leader thrives in isolation. Even the strongest need a supportive formation — a trusted circle that helps sustain forward motion when the headwinds pick up.
This is precisely the dynamic at the heart of my Visibility & Voice Intensive™, a high-level experience for senior women leaders who are ready to realign their professional presence, elevate their executive voice, and step confidently into 2026. In this small, strategic community, participants strengthen their visibility in partnership — each taking turns leading, learning, and lifting others as they advance.
The geese would approve.
Q4 Is Not Just Another Quarter — It’s the Runway to 2026
In business, as in migration, timing matters. Q4 is when smart leaders look up from the spreadsheets and ask the strategic question: What am I preparing for next?
If you haven’t refreshed your digital presence, clarified your positioning, or expanded your influence this year, now is the moment. Because when new opportunities arise — and they will — you’ll want to be known, seen, and trusted at the level you’ve already earned. The leaders who invest in their visibility today will glide more smoothly into the next season of opportunity. Those who don’t may find themselves flapping hard to catch up.
Final Thought
The geese remind us that preparation is not panic — it’s wisdom. They begin their training while the days are still warm, so that when the winds shift, they’re ready.
Let’s take their cue. Build your strength. Align with your community. Prepare your presence for the season ahead.
If you’re ready to elevate your visibility, strengthen your executive voice, and prepare strategically for what’s next, visit carolkaemmerer.com
to learn more — or schedule a private consultation at go.oncehub.com/carolkaemmerer
.
Let’s make your brilliance impossible to ignore.
