Not change it. Not fix it. Not improving it.
Just relive it.
The same weather. The same people. The same sounds. The same smells. The same season of life. The same version of you.
In our retreats and company offsites, we sometimes use an exercise called Groundhog Day. The prompt is simple, but the conversation it creates is anything but simple.
Think about one day in your life you would like to relive.
What do you remember?
Was it warm or cold? Was it morning or night? Were you inside or outside? Who was there? What did the air feel like? What did you hear? What did you smell? What did you not know then that you know now?
And then the deeper question.
Why that day?
That is where the exercise begins.
At first, people often choose the obvious days. A wedding. The birth of a child. A championship moment. A business milestone. A perfect vacation. A day with a parent, spouse, sibling, child, or friend who is no longer here.
But as the room settles in, something shifts.
People do not just describe the day. They begin to reveal what mattered.
They talk about love. Pride. Grief. Regret. Joy. Simplicity. Belonging. Forgiveness. Peace.
They remember moments when they felt fully alive, fully seen, fully connected.
And in doing so, they give the group a gift. A glimpse behind the résumé, the title, the role, the armor.
That is the power of vulnerability when it is held well.
In business, we spend so much time talking about strategy, execution, growth, and performance. Those things matter. But trust is built somewhere deeper.
Trust is built when people are willing to answer questions like:
- What is on your heart?
- What lights you up?
- What change are you experiencing?
- What story are you telling yourself that may not be true?
- What decision, if resolved, could have the most significant impact in your life?
These are not soft questions. They are courageous questions.
Because when leaders become more honest with themselves, they become more honest with each other. And when teams become more honest with each other, real alignment becomes possible.
Groundhog Day is not really about the past.
It is about paying attention.
What day would you relive?
What is that day trying to teach you about how you want to live, lead, and love today?