August 2026

A note on leadership, once a month, from Erik Novack

Leadership showsup everywhere.

It shows up in the small calls: what you say, what you let slide, what you do when it would be easier not to. One short lesson a month on getting those right.

Join the newsletter Read a sample

no theory. no acronyms. promise.

Free · Once a month · Leave any time

The idea

Nobody announces it. It happens in kitchens, in hallways, on the drive home, in the group chat. And every time, somebody is deciding what’s acceptable around here.

Usually that somebody is you, and usually you decide it in about four seconds without meaning to. The Leadership Note is one lesson a month about those four seconds.

Not the version with a keynote and a slide deck. The version that happened at your dinner table last night, whether you caught it or not.

Inside a note

Three parts. Five minutes. One rep.

Short enough to read with your coffee. Specific enough to still be bothering you on Thursday.

Part 01

The story

Every note opens with something that actually happened. A call somebody had to make, a line somebody had to hold, a conversation nobody wanted. You'll recognize the room.

Part 02

The standard

Then the plain-English version of what good looked like in that moment. Something you can hold yourself to on the days you'd rather not.

Part 03

The rep

And one small thing to try before the next note arrives. Reading about this doesn't make you better at it. Reps do.

A real issue

Here’s one. No email required.

The Leadership Note · № 12

August 2026

The standard you walk past

A coach tells the team to sprint the last lap. Two players jog it. He sees them do it. He says nothing.

The standard just changed. It isn’t “sprint the last lap” anymore. It’s “sprint unless you’re tired.” He never announced that. He just let it happen, and everyone saw.

What you walk past, you’ve approved. At practice, at the dinner table, in the Monday meeting. Silence isn’t neutral. People read it as permission.

This month's rep

Name one standard you’ve been walking past. Say it out loud once this week. Kindly, clearly, in the moment. Not in a speech afterward.

Read every note so far

How it works

It asks for five minutes, not a program.

01Ten seconds
Join
One field, your email. No quiz, no onboarding sequence, no “tell us about your leadership goals.”
02Five minutes, once a month
Read it
One note at the start of each month: a story, a standard, a rep. You'll be done before the coffee is.
03The other thirty days
Go do it
Run the rep at practice, in the Tuesday meeting, at your own dinner table. Nobody can do that part for you.

An open notebook titled Notes with a fountain pen resting on it and reading glasses nearby — where the notes get written

The one writing it

Written by Erik Novack, who teaches this for a living.

Erik has spent his career teaching and coaching, which mostly means watching people decide things under pressure. He pays attention to what separates the ones who handle it from the ones who look away.

He’s less interested in leadership as a subject than in the ten seconds before you say something you can’t take back. That’s where most of it gets decided.

So once a month he writes one of these: something that actually happened, cut down until only the useful part is left.

Nobody gets better at this by accident.

Fair questions

Before you hand over an email address.

How often does it arrive?

Once a month, at the start of the month. No bonus sends, no “just one quick thought,” no daily drip. Twelve notes a year. That's the whole deal.

Who's it for?

Anyone whose decisions land on other people: parents, coaches, managers, teachers, captains, older siblings, good friends. No title required, and no team of twelve.

What does it cost?

Nothing. There's no paid tier waiting behind it and no course at the end of the funnel.

How long does one take to read?

About five minutes. One story, one standard, one rep. Short enough for a coffee, specific enough to still be bothering you on Thursday.

What if I want out?

Unsubscribe link at the bottom of every note. One click, and no follow-up email asking you to reconsider.

Free, once a month, no spam

Get the next note.

It goes out at the start of the month. One email, twelve times a year. A story, a standard, and one thing to go try. All it needs is somewhere to land.

Join the newsletter

leave whenever. no hard feelings.