They’ve all parted ways, but Rob is still doing comics. He’s even revived his original creation of Youngblood. More importantly, he’s been hosting a podcast called Robservations where he talks about the state of the comic industry.

Recently, Mike Mayhew was on the Robservations Podcast. He and Rob Liefeld were discussing the comic book industry. The conversation was riveting.

During their conversation, Mike stated that so many artists in the comic book world take the same path. They do the time-consuming work of creating original artwork for a publisher, and then they go out on the road to comic conventions. There, they spend time, money, and energy trying to sell to more people.

Mike said these creators live in the same fishbowl. They’re unwilling to break free.

Photo by Hale Tat on Unsplash

Other creators have found that they needed to get out of the fishbowl. To find something new and different. But still within the comic book industry.

These creators have begun looking at live streaming, direct-to-consumer, and Whatnot shows to build an unbeatable following and earn a very good living. One, they wouldn’t have been working for a big publisher such as Marvel Comics or DC Comics.

They’ve broken out of the comic book fishbowl.

Break Out Of The Fishbowl

Mike and Rob’s experiences got me thinking. How many leaders are stuck in the fishbowl? How many leaders are floundering? Struggling to feel like their work matters? Wanting more but getting the same?

Far too many.

I want to encourage you to break out of the fishbowl. It’s scary at first. I’m sure Mike and Rob would agree. However, once the fishbowl lay broken on the floor, their world became so much bigger. They gained back time. They gained back relationships. They gained back ownership.

Here’s how you can break out of your fishbowl:

Look around you:

What’s going on within your organization? Do you feel valued? Do you see an opportunity to advance further in your career?

Answer each one honestly.

If you answer in a negative manner to multiple questions, it may be time to break the fishbowl.

Talk to trusted advisors:

You’ve built relationships with people you can trust. You value their opinions. You’re willing to let them speak life and value into you.

Tell these advisors how you’re feeling. You may tell them:

• I think I’ve given all I can at my current organization. What do you think?
• So much has changed. I don’t see a way for me to continue growing there. Is this what you see?
• It’s like I’m treading water. I can’t make progress in the projects I’m leading. Do you think it’s time I look for something new?

Listen to what your advisors tell you when you present them with your current situation. There’s a good chance they’ve been there before. There’s a good chance they have something to tell you.

If they tell you something and you’re unsure of what they mean, don’t hesitate to ask them for clarification. Sometimes, getting clarification can help you see the bigger picture. You may decide to stay. Or you may decide to shake the fishbowl until it falls off the table.

Break the fishbowl:

You’ve assessed your current situation. It’s not looking good. There’s stagnation. There’s frustration. You feel like you need to move on.

You’ve also talked to your trusted advisors. From what you’ve told them, they see the fishbowl you’re stuck in isn’t good. You need to break free.

Now, it’s time for you to break the fishbowl.

• Begin a new job search. Look for organizations where you’d be a great fit
• Talk to friends and family to see if they know of any place that is hiring.
• Consider going into business for yourself (like Rob and Mike did)
• Take the first step

If you find yourself ready to move, break the fishbowl. Look for a new position. Find places that are hiring. Start your own thing.

Many times, you’ll find yourself and those around you happier when you break the fishbowl. It’s scary at first. You know the devil you deal with every day in your current organization. You don’t at one you’ve never worked for. However, I’ve talked to so many leaders who thrive and excel once they’ve broken out of their fishbowl and tried something new.

What’s your next step?

Supergirl, based on the graphic novel: Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow, flew into theaters this past weekend. Sadly for her, the film hasn’t fared well with reviewers or fans. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. I, for one, really enjoyed the film.

Supergirl is Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock). She was sent to Earth by her parents, Zor-El (David Krumholtz) and Alura Zor-El (Emily Beecham), to avoid the destruction of her home planet, Krypton. They also wanted her to take refuge with her cousin, Superman/Kal-El (David Corenswet).

Their intentions were kinder than Kal-El’s parents’. In the recent Superman film, we discover that Superman’s parents wanted him to rule over the people of the Earth. Her parents wanted her to help those who couldn’t defend themselves.

Her mission was to be good on Earth. Starkly different.

And that’s the strange thing. We see Supergirl stumbling through her life. She’s angry, sad, lonely.

Yet, we see a change in Supergirl as the film progresses. She finds purpose and meaning. She chooses to be good.

Join us as we explore Supergirl’s journey and how her story can help us become better leaders.

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Supergirl

1. You can still care for people who make mistakes:

We see Krypto the Superdog misbehaving on multiple occasions. He pees on a newspaper of Superman but he goes over the paper. Then he knocks Supergirl over the couch.

Some would say Krypto was a menace. He continuously got into trouble.

Do you know who it didn’t matter to? Supergirl.

When Krypto needed help, she jumped in to help him. She put her life at risk to obtain the cure from the film’s villain, Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts).

Great leaders still care for their people, even if they make mistakes – Leadership lessons from Supergirl
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No matter what Krypto did, Supergirl cared.

You can do the same for your people. You can empathize and feel concern for your people…

Regardless of what they do or how they act.

Care for your people, even the bad employees. They need your care to become better.

2. Bad leaders don’t keep their word:

Krem approaches a husband-and-wife couple, Elias Knoll (Ferdinand Kingsley) and Delilah Knoll (Emily Piggford). Elias was an expert swordsmith. That’s what Krem was after.

He told Elias and Delilah that he would leave their family alone if they gave him what he wanted. Elias began to, then his son, Emond (Bruce Lennox), runs.

Krem murders Emond. The word of the villain was not true.

Bad leaders are a lot like Krem. They will tell people one thing but do something completely different.

You may hear a leader promise to care for you, only to find them conniving behind your back. A leader may promise to give you something only to withhold it.

These are bad leaders. Beware of them.

When a leader can’t keep his word, it’s time for them, or you, to go.

3. Supergirl:

That’s so over the line of acceptable…

Ruthye (Eve Ridley), the Knoll’s daughter, walks into a bar. She’s looking for help in obtaining revenge against Krem.

She doesn’t have much to offer. But what she does have is something extremely valuable: One of her father’s handmade swords.

One of the aliens makes their move. He grabs the sword from Ruthye and flees.

Confront inappropriate behaviors – Leadership lessons from Supergirl
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Supergirl steps in. She confronts the alien. She tells him that his actions are unacceptable.

Sometimes, our team members may step out of line. It’s up to you to correct the negative behavior.

Be willing to step up to them. Tell them that they’ve crossed the line of acceptability.

If you don’t, who will?

4. Leaders can be injured and not know it:

Supergirl wakes up. There’s a bone dagger in her leg. She didn’t even notice the weapon.

However, as she pulls the dagger out, there’s an excruciating amount of pain.

But the key to this leadership point is that Supergirl didn’t even notice the injury to begin with.

We see this a lot in leadership. Leaders are told they need to push through the pain. So much so, the pain becomes normal. We don’t even register the pain.

Be careful if you find yourself not feeling anything. You may be injured and not even know it.

5. Supergirl:

Don’t freak out.

Supergirl puts a collar around Ruthye. She tells Ruthye not to freak out.

Then she pushes a button.

The collar had an expandable spacesuit that envelops the young girl. It was quick and painless. But it was freaky.

She tried to warn Ruthye before she did it. She had hoped she wouldn’t freak out.

Leaders need to be aware that their people may freak out by what’s happening around them. A lot of times, that’s because they’re left in the dark as to what is really happening.

Give your people advance notice before implementing major changes. Help them to see the reasons behind your actions.

The more you do to calm your people’s fears, the less they’ll freak out.

6. Alura Zor-El:

Just be good.

As Alura Zor-El is dying, she has something important to tell her daughter. She tells Kara/Supergirl to just be good.

Ooof, that’s powerful.

Her mother didn’t tell her to go be successful. To do great things. To be special.

Just be good – Leadership lessons from Supergirl
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No, her mother saw that it was critical that Kara be good.

Leaders, just be good. Leaders, just do good.

7. We can give advice even if we haven’t mastered it:

Ruthye was out for revenge. Supergirl knew seeking revenge wasn’t going to help.

This is cemented when Ruthye asks her when she stopped being angry.

Supergirl’s answer? Any day now.

She was still learning. Still growing.

Supergirl didn’t have it all together. But she knew what didn’t work.

We may be afraid to offer advice to those we lead when we haven’t mastered what we’re discussing. I want to encourage you to share what you have found to be true.

You don’t have to master it. You only need to know what works or doesn’t.

8. Some environments are not good for you:

Supergirl continues to seek out the antidote to Krypto’s poisoning. She goes off planet to a place where Krem might be.

When she steps off the ship, she has a hard time breathing. Then she falls over. She’s in extreme pain.

The planet has a green sun. It’s toxic to Kryptonians.

Guess what? Organizations can be toxic to you.

Be cautious of where you work. Of where you stay.

They could be toxic.

9. Supergirl:

It’s just a stupid suit, Ruthye. It doesn’t do anything.

Ruthye comes to Supergirl’s rescue on the green sun planet. She pulls her into a cave.

This is when Ruthye reveals that she had found Supergirl’s suit.

It was a kind gesture. However, Supergirl knows that it is just a suit. It’s not where her power comes from.

Your title is just a stupid title. Your influence doesn’t come from your title.

You influence others when you have impacted their lives. When you have shown them you’re a person of integrity.

Your title is great, sure… but it doesn’t do anything. It’s you who makes the impact.

10. Let your life be the example:

Ruthye wanted to kill Krem so badly. He took so much from her.

However, when Ruthye had the chance to kill Krem, Supergirl stepped in. She tells Ruthye to let her life be the revenge.

People may have thought you wouldn’t make a good leader. They may have thought you wouldn’t amount to much.

Don’t listen to them.

Instead, let your life be the example. Show them what you can accomplish.

Well, if that’s your idea of summer fun, I’ve got 5 great leadership books for you to check out. These will help you improve your thinking, change your mindset, and more!

5 Leadership Books To Read In July 2026

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

1. The Adaptive Edge: Leading Through Uncertainty in a Disrupted World by Myles Threatt:

Conditions are shifting fast in the business world. With AI and other technologies making a major impact, you have to learn how to stay decisive when you need to make a decision.

Myles Threatt has created the ADAPT framework. ADAPT stands for

• Awareness
• Decision
• Adjust
• Performance
• Trust

Grab a copy of the book and learn how to adapt in changing times.

2. The Confidence Myth: Why Women Undervalue Their Skills, and How to Get Over It by Helene Lerner:

Sometimes, women undervalue their skills. They struggle to get over it. But this book is here to help women overcome their tendency to undervalue themselves.

Helene Lerner shares experiences from her own life and the lives of other female leaders. Their experiences are sure to help you see the value in what you know, do, and build.

If you want to break the confidence myth, this book is for you.

Grab your copy here.

3. Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love by Bill Gurley: 

Who doesn’t want to have a career of purpose? Everyone wants to feel like their work matters.

Bill Gurley helps leaders understand how to do this with excellence. Gurley shares his story of landing a job at a famous tech company. That should be the pinnacle of success, right? It wasn’t. Gurley found himself bored. It wasn’t what he wanted after all.

He changed course. Went into something new. And found a love for it.

This book will help you chase down your dream and find something you love.

Grab your copy on Amazon.

4. The Emergent Leader: A Guide to Brand Building, Leadership, and Self-Mastery by Don Gregori:

If you want to boost your professional development, this book is for you. Don Gregori tackles 6 key areas for growth. They are

• Brand Building
• Exploiting Gaps
• Fostering A Culture Of Innovation
• Driving Efficiency
• Career Management
• Managing Stress

These are all things we need to handle. And handle well. Gregori shows us how to do this and more.

Grad your copy here.

5. Making Big Happen: Applying The Make Big Happen System to Grow Big by Mark Moses

Making BIG Happen is a great book for leaders. Especially leaders who want to improve their goal-setting and execution discipline.

Mark Moses examines 4 questions that helped form the CEO Coaching International organization. These tips and tracks have impacted over 875 companies for years. Now they can impact yours.

Grab your copy here.

Wow! It’s hard to believe we’ve had almost 30 years of Toy Story movies from Pixar! Toy Story was first released in November 1995. Then, we’ve had a new Toy Story movie every 5-10 years since.

And I’m here for it.

We’re now up to Toy Story 5. Toy Story 5 tells the story of Bonnie (Scarlett Spears). She has most of the toys now. But a new toy has made its entrance, and it’s changing her life and the life of her toys.

What toys are returning? We get:

• Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen)
• Jessie (Joan Cusack)
• Rex (Wallace Shawn)
• Slinky Dog (Blake Clark)
• Hamm (John Ratzenberger)
• Dolly (Bonnie Hunt)
• Trixie (Kristen Schaal)
• Forky (Tony Hale)
• Mr. Picklepants (John Hopkins)
• Combat Carl (Ernie Hudson)
• Mr. Potato Head (Anna Vocino)
• and of course Woody (Tom Hanks)

The toys are on a desperate mission to help Bonnie make friends. Then Lilypad (Greta Lee) is brought into the house.

She’s an electronic device that lets her play games, communicate with others, and more.

Join me as we examine the leadership lessons in Toy Story 5 through Bonnie’s story.

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Toy Story 5

1. Beware of empty words:

Bonnie is playing with Jessie. She tells her how much she loves her. In fact, she’ll love her forever. She’s never going to give her up.

We know what’s coming next. A change.

Lilypad comes into Bonnie’s life. The device takes over all aspects. Jessie and the other toys are left to the side.

Bonnie’s words were empty.

Empty words hurt leaders deeply. Their reputation can tank quickly when they’re not careful – Leadership lessons from Toy Story 5
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Leaders like to talk a big game. They’ll tell people what they want to hear.

But that’s not right.

Leaders must be careful with their words. They can’t use empty, careless words and expect people to follow or respect them.

The more empty words you use, the more your respect level will drop.

2. Jessie:

Are you okay?

Bonnie had neighbors who were twins, the Jordan twins. She couldn’t make friends with them. Yet, she longed to be.

Jessie saw this. She decided to help make this happen.

Jessie gets to the Jordan twins’ home. There, she sees the twins playing on their screens. Abandoned toys come out. They tell Jessie to hide.

She’s not ready to hide just yet. She begins to ask the other toys if they’re okay.

What do you do when you see a down-and-out team member? What do you do when someone is struggling?

You’d better not ignore them. You’d better not put them aside.

Instead, great leaders go up and ask if they’re okay. They show interest in the person. They make the person feel valued.

What can you do to make someone feel better today?

3. Connecting is easier today than it has ever been. It’s still just as hard:

Jessie confronts Lilypad. She’s ready to put her in her place. She then tells Lilypad that the toys have been trying to get Bonnie to become friends with the Jordan twins.

Lilypad shows Jessie just how easy it is to become friends with someone with her technology. She sends out friend requests to multiple girls. They accept.

Connecting is easier.

But then Bonnie’s new friends start picking on her. They tease her about her old toys.

Connecting is still hard.

Technology has changed a lot of things. You can connect with almost anyone over the internet.

I’ve done it. You’ve done it. You’re on Facebook, Insta, Threads, or some other social media site. You see a famous celebrity you want to connect with. You send out a request. Boom! They hit accept. You’re now connected. But are you?

The initial connection is easier today. Being connected is just as hard as it has ever been.

4. Jessie:

Is it me? Is it my fault? Am I just terrible at this?

Woody calls Jessie back on the walkie-talkies they share. Jessie begins to share her feelings of insecurity.

There’s a new toy. It’s taking over Bonnie’s life. And Jessie is being abandoned again.

She’s feeling like she’s failed.

In the end, we see she doesn’t fail. She connects Bonnie with Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris).

There’s going to be times when you feel you’re terrible at leadership. Team members won’t listen. You make the wrong call. Things go bad.

That’s okay. That’s all part of leadership.

There will also be days when you feel like a rockstar. Your risky decision pays off. You find the best team member who just clicks.

You’re going to have your highs and lows in leadership. Flow with them.

5. It feels terrible to be left in the dark:

Jessie goes to Blaze’s house. There, she finds Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), a toy used to potty train kids. He’s been abandoned for years.

She helps him get new batteries. He’s recharged and feeling better than ever. Then he tells her that she needs to recharge two other devices, Atlas (Craig Robinson) and Snappy (Shelby Rabara).

Atlas is an alligator-shaped GPS device. Snappy is a digital camera.

Ugh, more technology for Jessie. But she begins to understand their pain.

Stop leaving your people in the dark. It hurts them – Leadership lessons from Toy Story 5
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Jessie had her kids for years. Smarty Pants, Atlas, and Snappy had Blaze for a measly few months. Then they were tossed into the closet.

It was terrible. Jessie is told how horrible it was to be locked in the dark.

You’re not going to literally toss your team members into the closet. However, you will close them off and keep them in the dark.

Be careful when making decisions. You should be including your team members in them. You should be informing them of upcoming changes.

When you leave team members in the dark, it’s terrible for them.

6. Smarty Pants:

She did it without me!

Blaze leaves the bathroom. She’d done the deed without the help of Smarty Pants.

He sees this and understands.

Blaze had learned to use the bathroom through his teaching. He’d been there for him. Now, she didn’t need him.

Great leaders celebrate the successes of their people, especially when they’re not involved – Leadership lessons from Toy Story 5
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This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He’d done his job.

Do you ever watch your team members? Not to catch them doing something wrong. But to catch them doing something right?

Be proud of the work you put in to help your team members grow. To be successful.

You’re the teacher. You won’t always be needed.

7. Don’t discard technology quickly:

Jessie was upset with technology. She saw technology as something that would replace her and the other toys. She went so far as to call Snappy, Atlas, and Smarty Pants useless!

In the end, Jessie came to understand that they can both exist in the same world.

Find the right place for technology – Leadership lessons from Toy Story 5
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Smarty Pants, Atlas, and Snappy partnered with Jessie to send a message to Lilypad. This helped reconnect Jessie with Bonnie. More importantly, it helped Bonnie connect with Blaze. And then the Jordan twins.

Technology can be exciting or scary, depending on where you are on the technology continuum. That doesn’t mean technology is useless.

All it means is that you need to find a way to bring technology into an organization responsibly.

8. Leaders are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good:

Bonnie’s mom (Lori Alan) and Bonnie go to an ice cream shop after visiting Blaze to pick up Bonnie’s old toys. As Bonnie goes up to choose a different ice cream flavor, Lilypad makes a choice. One she believes is for the greater good.

Lilypad sees a donation box. That’s where she needs to go. She needs to leave Bonnie so Bonnie can be happy again.

She jumps into the box and leaves. She made a selfless sacrifice.

Think about your position. You have the opportunity to make many sacrifices.

Are you? Will you? Do you even want to?

Great leaders see the greater good. They’re willing to lay aside their desires even if it hurts them.

Be a sacrificial leader.

9. You matter more than you realize:

Jessie felt like she no longer mattered. She’d been replaced.

This all changed when she went to Tire Swing Hill.

There was a tire swing tied to a big tree. On the tree, Jessie saw the words “Jessie was here.”

Jessie and the other toys discovered there was a box buried beneath. The box contained all sorts of memories. Not from Jessie the toy but from Jessie the girl… the daughter of her original owner, Emily.

You’re making an impact on those you lead. That impact will never truly be seen by you.

Years down the road, you may run into a former team member. They will share a story of how you impacted their life. Or you may run into someone your former team member knew. They will share a story that involves you!

Keep leading well. You matter more than you realize.

10. Jessie:

All that matters is that we were there at the right time to help her along.

At the end of the movie, Jessie comes to a new realization… She’d helped her kids at just the right time in their lives.

Jessie wasn’t useless. She was valuable. She had made a difference.

All that matters is that we were there at the right time to help someone along – Leadership lessons from Toy Story 5
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Leaders, be there for your team members at the right time. That’s the biggest and best thing you can do for your people.

Be there.

Listen. Care. Help them.

That’s what matters.

Entering the world of car shopping has been one of the worst experiences we’ve had.

Why?

The car lots hide so much from you. Even the pricing of their vehicles.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

I reached out to one dealership to inquire about a Subaru Crosstrek. They gave me the runaround. First, I received a response asking whether I’d like to come out and test-drive the vehicle. Sure, I’d love to. However, I had requested photos of the car (which were not listed on the website) and the vehicle’s price. Neither of which was provided.

It’s like they were hiding something from us.

Sending photos. Giving the price. These things seem like something you’d give to someone before they spend the time to come out for a test drive.

No, they hid these things. And we didn’t go for the test drive because we felt like they should have been more upfront.

Stop Hiding Things From Your Employees

As leaders, we often find ourselves like this car dealership. We’re spending our time avoiding giving our employees what they need.

Your employees feel the same way I felt in this transaction: Bamboozled, misled, and frustrated.

All because you’re hiding things from your employees. Here’s what you need to stop hiding:

Impending Organizational Changes:

Leadership changes. We know that. Your employees know that. So why do we continue to hide these situations from our employees?

You do yourself and your organization no favors by hiding what’s coming. You do hurt the organization’s morale, though.

When organizational changes happen, especially out of the blue, people begin to wonder what else is going on. Who else is being moved out. What else is going to come their way.

Yes, there are times when you can’t share these leadership or organizational transitions. However, those are few and far between.

Your Presence:

The open office idea has been an interesting concept. Leadership claims that an open office with no walls promotes collaboration, transparency, and cost efficiency. It’s been pitched as a great way to bring people together.

In every open office, do you know what I’ve not seen? The leadership team included in the open office layout. They still have the four walls of their own private office.

Why?

Because leadership is hiding its presence from its people.

If you’re going to tell your team they need to be in an open office to promote collaboration and transparency, why aren’t you out there with them? You’re hiding in your private area.

Get out. Mingle. Build relationships with your people.

The Truth:

Leaders may not want to burden their employees with the weight of financial struggles, impending layoffs, or even a closure. Yet you’re hurting your team by hiding the truth about what’s coming or what may happen.

Be as open as possible when major struggles arise in your organization. You wouldn’t want to be blindsided by this news. Neither do your employees.

Share the truth when you can.