Summary This winter, my pickleball game fell apart. I wasn't feeling low — I was still showing up — but I had quietly shifted from playing to competing. Focused on the outcome, the ranking, the score. The fun left. The pressure filled the space. I had pickleball burnout. In a hobby. And it turned out to be a signal about something much bigger than my backhand. In this episode, I share how I got my mojo back — and why the shift from playing to competing is one of the quietest, most damaging things that happens to leaders and their teams. Takeaways The mojo leaves before the metrics do. Disengagement is quiet. People are still showing up. But something has left — and the signal comes long before anyone names it. Self-imposed pressure is sneaky. I never felt low. I just stopped having fun. That's exactly how it shows up for leaders and their teams too. Playful inclusive leadership requires actually playing. Process over outcome. Curiosity over scorecard. Joy as a feature, not a reward for hitting your numbers. The question isn't whether your people are showing up. It's whether they're still in it. That's the check-in worth having this week. Connect with Me The Newsletter: This week in the newsletter, I wrote about gaming careers opening for autistic talent, Maryland restoring voting access during reentry, and blood donation rules expanding in New Zealand, and more!  Subscribe to the 5 Things Newsletter here. Work with Me: Let's talk. Watch 5 Things on YouTube. Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/