Have you ever heard a goalie come back after a hockey game and say, "I don't understand. I couldn't even watch the game. People kept shooting pucks at me all night!"?

Of course not.

Watch the video or continue reading.

The goalie isn't there to watch the game. The goalie is in the game. It's their job to stop the pucks.

The same is true for you.

If you're a busy executive, CEO, vice-president, manager, or business owner, interruptions are not an inconvenience. They are part of the job. Yet so many leaders spend their days saying, "I can't get anything done because people keep interrupting me. Everyone keeps coming into my office."

But that's exactly what your role requires.

You're the goalie. Expect the pucks.

It's a bit like my husband. Every time we reach a red light, he says, "Another red light!" and gets frustrated.

What happens in that moment? His brain releases stress chemicals into his bloodstream, making him feel worse. But red lights are simply part of how traffic works. Sometimes it's your turn to go. Sometimes it's someone else's. There will always be green lights, and there will always be red ones.

So why get upset about something that is completely normal?

The same thing happens at work.

"I don't understand. Everyone keeps dropping problems on my desk. My team can't seem to handle everything on their own. I'm always the one who has to make the final decision."

Exactly.

That's your job.

As a leader, you are constantly dealing with situations that don't have an obvious answer. In other words, you're often operating in prefrontal cortex overload.

Here's what that means.

Your brain loves patterns. It builds neural pathways and creates mental "boxes" for situations you've encountered before. When something familiar happens, your brain quickly pulls out the appropriate box and knows what to do.

But when something happens that doesn't fit into any existing box, your brain sees it as uncertainty.

That uncertainty activates an alarm system involving the amygdala, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the insula. Suddenly, your panic button gets pushed—not because the situation is necessarily dangerous, but because your brain doesn't yet have a category for it.

Now think about your team.

If there were already a box for the problem, they probably would have solved it themselves. They bring it to you because there isn't one. That's why leaders are constantly faced with situations that require judgment rather than procedures.

It's perfectly normal.

The goal isn't to avoid these moments. The goal is to expect them.

Instead of reacting with, "Why is this happening again?" try saying, "Of course there's no box for this yet. My job is to create one."

That simple shift changes everything.

When you expect the unexpected, your brain is less likely to spiral into panic. Instead, you can remain resourceful, think clearly, and build a new mental framework that allows you to solve the problem effectively.

Every challenge becomes an opportunity to create another box for the future.

So the next time someone walks into your office with yet another impossible problem, remember this:

You're not sitting in the stands watching the game.

You're the goalie.

Expect the pucks.

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