Seasonal Leadership in August: Inquiry, Action & Practice in the Heat

The heat of summer brings more than just rising temperatures. It brings urgency, fatigue, and—if we’re paying attention—an invitation.

I’ve found that with most of my clients’ organizations, August is a threshold month. Not quite the final sprint, not quite the beginning of reflection. It’s something in between—a quiet turning. And if you’re leading a team right now, you can feel it: people are still running, but the heat is exhausting, and the energy is shifting.

One of the most powerful insights I’ve taken from working with great leaders is this: Leadership isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing differently—on purpose, in presence.

So, as we navigate this late-summer stretch, I want to offer a simple framework you can use right now to lead with more clarity and alignment: Inquiry, Action, and Practice. Let’s explore how those three elements—rooted in the work of Doing—can transform your leadership this August.

First: Inquiry—The Season Is Asking Something Different of You 

Conscious leadership begins with noticing. Noticing what’s changing. Noticing where your attention is stuck.
Noticing what the moment is actually calling for—not what habit would have you do.

That starts with powerful inquiry.

Here are the questions I’m asking with my clients this August:

• What is ready to be harvested?
  We planted a lot in Q1 and Q2. What’s growing? What’s bearing fruit? What can be celebrated?
• What feels stale, stagnant, or heavy?
  Not everything we started still belongs. What might be pruned so energy can return?
• Where am I still pushing when I could be inviting?
  August isn’t summer sprint mode anymore. It’s the beginning of the pivot. Can you feel it?

Inquiry slows us down just enough to shift from reactivity to responsiveness. It’s where conscious leadership begins.

Then: Action—But Not Just Any Kind

If inquiry is the inner work, action is how it shows up in the world.

But here’s what I’ve witnessed in every great leader I’ve coached: Not all action is equal.

Conscious action is grounded, aligned, and energetic. It’s not about adding tasks. It’s about doing the right things from the right place inside you. We call this congruence Radiant Integrity.

Here are a few conscious actions I’m encouraging leaders to take in this late-summer season:

• Create space, not just direction.
  Let a team member lead a meeting. Host a session that’s more inquiry than update. Signal that leadership is about listening, not just driving. Allowing your team to showcase their skills builds empowerment.
• Declutter your systems.
  What meetings could be eliminated, restructured, or paused? What processes are carrying legacy energy? Decluttering creates space for what’s next.
• Pause before deciding.
  This one’s simple and profound: Add a 10-second breath before big decisions. Let your nervous system settle. Let the next move arise instead of being forced.

The doing matters—but conscious, deliberate doing matters more.

Finally: Practice—What You Repeat Becomes Who You Are

This is the piece so many leaders miss.

They’ll reflect. They’ll even shift gears. But without practice, nothing sticks. The system (you, your team, your org) returns to the default.

That’s why we emphasize conscious practices: small, repeatable rituals that shape attention and action over time.

Here are a few practices I’ve built into my own leadership and offer to other leaders:

• Weekly Brain Dump
  Each Friday I have time blocked to “dump” all of the stuff my brain has been trying to hold. I use MindNode (but you can use any mind mapping software or the old fashioned pencil and paper) to list out all of my projects, and all of the action items that need to be completed. This gives me time to add new items or thoughts that have come up during the week, and gives me a starting point to decide where my priorities need to be the following week. 
• Presence Before Performance
  Every meeting I lead now starts with a check-in. Not a “how are you” but a “where are you right now?” A breath. A drop into the moment. You’d be amazed how this shifts team energy. Make sure to allot time for this so you don’t have to rush the end of the meeting.
• The “Garden”
  I invite leaders to do this solo or with their team: your organization is like a garden. Each fruit has its own watering needs, special soil, sunlight, pH, and space. Each part of your organization is its own bed in the garden. Consider:
• What did we plant this year?
• What’s grown?
• What’s needs water?
• What’s ready to be harvested?
• What’s ready to be composted?

This turns the business cycle into a living rhythm—not just a performance metric.

Why This Matters Now

Because burnout doesn’t usually come from working hard. It comes from working out of alignment.

August is the perfect time to reset. Before the full Q4 sprint begins. Before you lock in year-end goals. Before you keep moving fast in a direction you haven’t reassessed.

We don't need more hustle this season.

We need more awareness. More alignment. More doing differently.

If you're willing to treat August not as a plateau but as a pivot, you’ll set the tone for how your team finishes strong—and begins again.

Try This This Week

If you only take one thing from this blog, try this:

Block 30 minutes on your calendar.

Sit with these three questions:

1. What is this season asking of me?
2. What action would be most aligned—not most expected?
3. What practice could help me lead from presence this week?

Then: do one thing. Not five. Not ten. Just one aligned action.

That’s seasonal leadership. That’s conscious doing.

Let’s Do This Together

I’d love to hear what this post sparked for you.

• What season are you in as a leader?
• What’s emerging in your awareness?
• What conscious actions are calling you forward?

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Andrea Bednar’s Doing. It’s not just a book—it’s a way of leading that brings clarity, aliveness, and integrity back into the way we work.

Because leadership isn’t just about doing more.
It’s about doing differently—on purpose, in presence, together.

Alex Bednar is an Executive Coach specializing in Leadership Development. Connect with Alex at www.AndreaBednar.com for more insights on conscious leadership and operational excellence.