💚🐉 When leaders practice loyalty this way, trust is not blind, brittle, or abusive.

On Tuesday I wrote about transformation, how leaders don’t just adapt to systems, they reshape them so more people can rise.

But transformation alone is not enough.

Because it’s not the dramatic shifts that sustain trust, it’s the quiet, consistent choices we make every single day.

📖 Breath of the Dragon, Lesson 11:

“Loyalty is a choice you make every day—honor the commitments that anchor trust and strengthen every bond you build.”

🐉 “A loyal dragon renews its oath with small daily acts — trust is not forged in fire, but in rhythm.”

🔥🔥🔥 But here’s a caveat, one I’ve had to learn the hard way.

Reliability is one of my deepest values. I need it to thrive.

It’s rooted in early abandonment and abuse, when I couldn’t rely on the adults in my life.

So, I grew up honoring my word too much.

I stayed in jobs far past the point of harm because I had said yes.

I kept commitments even when the other side had broken theirs.

I endured abuse in the name of being “loyal.”

But loyalty does not mean sticking to your word no matter what.

As my friend Nicol once reminded me:

“Contracts have two sides.”

Loyalty is not dishonored when you step away after the other side has broken the handshake.

🐲 And dragons know this truth well.

A dragon’s pact is sealed in fire, but fire is never one-sided.

If the other breaks the bond, the flame burns out, and the dragon is free to fly.

❤️‍🔥 That lesson freed me.

Because loyalty in leadership isn’t about chaining yourself to promises at all costs.

It’s about trust that is chosen, renewed, and upheld, on both sides.

True loyalty looks like this:

💚 Showing up when you say you will.

💚 Being consistent in the small things.

💚 Keeping your word when trust is mutual.

💚 And just as importantly, stepping away when it’s not.

When leaders practice loyalty this way, trust is not blind, brittle, or abusive.

It becomes strong, resilient, and real.

Adaptation taught me how to survive the winds.

Transformation taught me how to change them.

Loyalty taught me how to keep others safe within them.

💬 What does loyalty mean to you, and where in your life do you need to renew, or perhaps release, a commitment?

🐲 On September 25 in Utrecht, I’ll be reading live from The Leadership Leap, signing books, and hosting a live coaching evening where we’ll explore how loyalty, trust, and transformation build systems that last.

🎟️ Register for our live event here

📖 Order books

❤️‍🔥 Sign up for the Leadership Landing 3-month Program, starting September 3rd!

🔥 Join our community next week for a nice fire side chat.chat.