Leadership Lessons in Limited Choices

First Rock Concert

When my son was in 5th grade, he was into 80s rock. For his birthday I was taking him to his first concert to see a band we both loved. I'd rocked out to Bon Jovi in high school and clearly that had staying power.

For months, he saved his allowance and did extra chores so he could buy the real concert t-shirt with his own money.

As anticipation and excitement built for this magical milestone with my son, the night finally came. The energy, the venue, the music — it was everything we hoped for.

Then came the merch… Everywhere you looked you saw t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, and hats — piled high on tables and hanging from racks.

The lines were twenty people deep and it was complete chaos. Worse, the t-shirt prices started at $80 [almost $120 in today’s money].

The excitement in my son’s face dimmed as he realized his hard work and extra chores hadn't paid enough to score a shirt. 🤨

That moment revealed how greed drains the joy out of things meant to connect us.

It left me with three options:

1️⃣ Feed into the greed of a system that gouges concertgoers,

2️⃣ Purchase an unlicensed t-shirt from a back-alley vendor, or

3️⃣ Deepen the disappointment in my 11-year-old son’s face.

As a content creator and writer, the idea of buying a knock off shirt and supporting a thief profiting from other people’s creative expression was as abhorrent to me as the outlandish greed of the concert organizers.

So there I was — stuck trying to figure out which option did the least damage to what I stood for. It wasn’t black and white. It was murky.

Let’s Unpack It! 💼

THRIVE Model

Often our choices aren’t as simple as choosing to live above the line or below the line.

Sometimes we’re not choosing between good and bad — we’re choosing between bad and worse.

[In the case of the Bon Jovi concert t shirt, it meant choosing to support greed or turn a blind eye to justify entitlement.]

Even when our choices land below the line, awareness and intention matter.

That night, we bought the knock-off t-shirt from an unlicensed vendor outside the venue.

I chose to suspend my principles IN SERVICE OF honoring something more important - the effort, the anticipation, and the connection between a mom and her kid.

As a life coach, I see this play out all the time.

People beat themselves up for choices made that aren’t perfectly “above the line;” or worse, burn out from the lack of clear or ethical choices.

But thriving isn’t about finding the perfect choice; it’s about standing tall in the one you make.

Every decision gives us data. ✏️

Awareness sharpens. 👀

intention strengthens. 💪

Our priorities become clearer. 💡

We respond. We adjust. We forgive. We rise.

That’s the work — to stay awake in the messy middle, keep our compass tuned, and lead ourselves forward with courage and compassion.