I'm Maura Aronsmeli, and this is The Anxious Achiever.

We look at stories from business leaders who have dealt with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges,

how they fell down, how they pick themselves up, and how they hope workplaces can change in the future.

Today's show is about gaining clarity, even when you're anxious and times are tough.

Whether you're facing a career change you didn't ask for and didn't want, or accepting that a goal you were so close to achieving or a long plan pivot is just not going to happen anytime

soon, it can be difficult to show up and lead right now. Almost every professional in the world

is feeling intense, anxiety, fear, anger, helplessness.

And then we have to leave the Zoom call or forecast the financial future anyway.

Today's guest, Robert Glazer, says it's about gaining clarity.

It's about asking yourself, what do I want to do and what can I do?

Working to gain clarity on these questions, convening with close advisors

or your leadership team, and then communicating outward. That is the secret to leading with a

growth mindset in these really difficult times. Glazer will share what he's learning about how

leaders are managing well during this crisis

and what it takes to sit in uncomfortable feelings right now, accept reality, and still lead.

Robert Glazer is a best-selling author and global speaker.

He is the founder and CEO of the marketing agency Acceleration Partners

and was ranked number two on Glassdoor's lists of top CEO of small and medium companies in the

U.S. We started by talking about the line between sharing vulnerability with colleagues

and being a mess, with a visceral analogy.

There's a pilot's protocol called ANC, which is avate, navigate, and communicate.

And the premise is like when there's a problem with a plane, the first thing is you figure out

...