73: Authenticity Over Performance

Unstuck with Jay Abbasi · May 26, 2025 · 44m

Meet Ryan. As the VP of Product at a fast-growing tech company, he’s brilliant, composed, and strategic. But lately, his team feels disengaged. People nod in meetings but rarely speak up. Deadlines slip. Communication is strained. Despite his best efforts to rally the group with more one-on-ones and structure, the connection just isn’t there.

At home, it’s no better. He finds himself answering his wife like a stakeholder—polished, but distant. Ryan knows something’s wrong, but he doesn’t know how to name it. He’s tired of leading behind a mask and longs to influence without pretending, to…