Summary: On the biggest stage in the world, during one of the most watched events on the planet, something remarkable happened. Yes, there was music. Of course, there was celebration. And yes, there was culture. But if you looked more closely, you would see a powerful lesson in leadership unfold. And it came from an unexpected place. Read on about leadership that matters.
Dear All,
I want to honor those who are leading in a way that fosters creativity and coherence.
Each week I am honoring today’s most effective leaders. It’s what the world needs now.
Leadership Is About Identity, Not Just Performance
For example, Bad Bunny didn’t dilute who he was to fit the moment.
He leaned into it. And took the chance to perform largely in Spanish. His home country was acknowledged as he highlighted Puerto Rican culture. He showcased symbols, stories, and history from his childhood home.
Where Pressure to Conform is Enormous, Choose Authenticity: That’s Leadership.
When leaders know who they are, they give others permission to do the same.
In my work, I talk about patterns that form us. The main ones come from family, culture, and crises.
Family is our original organization. And yes, we do bring it to work and to our adult relationships whether we want to or not.
Culture is the background for family. It determines how safe we are or not in the larger world.
Crises cause us to freeze, limit our trust and hide to seek safety.
Think about your own life to consider where your family, culture and any crises that have entered your life form today’s behavior patterns.
Now I am looking at another aspect of leadership, and I call this alignment of Head, Heart, and Gut.
When these three are aligned, a leader doesn’t have to act strong. They are strong.
The Deeper Perspective: Leadership Creates Belonging
Near the end of the performance, he displayed flags from across the Americas and revealed a simple message on a football:
“Together We Are America.”
He even named countries across North, Central, and South America, re-framing the idea of who belongs and what “America” means.
This wasn’t just entertainment. It was inclusion in action.
The leadership lesson?
Great leaders expand the circle.
They don’t divide. Nor do they shrink identity. And, most importantly, they make space for more people to feel seen.
And when people feel seen, they bring more energy, creativity, and commitment to the work.
Calm Confidence Instead of Noise
Many expected controversy. Instead, he centered the show on joy, culture, and unity. That takes restraint. And restraint is leadership.
In organizations, we often see the opposite pattern in leaders who overreact. Often, they defend. And then many leaders push harder to be heard, especially by making others bad and wrong.
But the strongest leaders know when to ground themselves.
They don’t need to shout. Most importantly, they lead from presence.
That’s a GLIMMER moment, a small signal of something deeply right.
Leading Through Cultural Intelligence
This performance wasn’t just about music. It was about recognition.
For many, seeing a Spanish-language artist headlining the Super Bowl represented a breakthrough moment for Latino culture and identity on a global stage.
Leadership today requires cultural intelligence.
The old model said: “Fit into the system.”
The new model says: “Bring the fullness of who you are.”
And when leaders do this, something powerful happens.
People stop hiding.
The Pattern Shift
Here’s what struck me most.
He didn’t ask permission to belong. He claimed his place.
So many leaders I coach fall into patterns:
- The Pleaser who tries to fit in and says “yes” when they really mean “no”
- The Avoider who stays quiet or runs from the room
- The Persecutor/Bully who scans for criticism
- The Splitter who enjoys making fun of or demeaning others so we take sides for/against each other
But this performance broke those patterns.
It said: You can lead from where you stand. Stay strong, you can lead from who you are. And remember, you can lead without shrinking.
That’s transformation!
The Real Leadership Lesson
Leadership isn’t about position. It’s about perspective.
Bad Bunny showed pride without arrogance, identity without exclusion, strength without aggression, and influence without force.
That’s modern leadership.
And that’s exactly what GLIMMERS at Work is about, noticing the subtle moments that show us a better way to lead.
The biggest insight?
When leaders are aligned with who they are, they create spaces where others feel they belong.
And belonging fuels performance more than fear ever will.
A Final Reflection
The Super Bowl halftime show lasted only minutes.
But the message lingers: lead from identity and from inclusion. Lead from calm confidence.
And watch what becomes possible.
To your success,
Sylvia Lafair
P.S. If you want to explore how your own patterns shape the way you lead, contact me for a complimentary session at sylvia@ceoptions.com. Find the GLIMMERS that guide Head, Heart, & Gut into alignment. This is exactly the work I’m developing in “GLIMMERS at Work: The New Leadership Operating System for Head, Heart, & Gut.” The future of leadership begins inside.
