Hi Reader, In a recent conversation on our podcast with Zach Mercurio, the author of The Power of Mattering, he shared a distinction that has stayed with us. He said that one of the most important signals for someone to feel that they matter is surprisingly simple: they feel noticed. During our conversation, he made an observation that felt both obvious and surprisingly convicting. He said there is an important difference between caring about people and caring for people. Caring about people...
8 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, One of the more difficult shifts leaders have to make is learning to resist their instinct to give too much advice. For many of us, our careers advanced precisely because we were good at solving problems. We developed expertise, we built credibility through good judgment, and people trusted us because we could see solutions that others might miss. So when someone on our team brings us a challenge, the instinct feels almost automatic. We listen briefly, recognize the issue, and...
15 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Leaders often ask some version of the same question: How do I improve engagement on my team? It is an understandable place to start. When a team’s energy feels inconsistent or participation begins to fade, engagement appears to be the missing ingredient. We instinctively look for ways to motivate people or encourage greater ownership. Over time, however, we’ve come to believe that the question itself points us slightly in the wrong direction. Engagement is not something leaders...
22 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you probably don’t need to be convinced of the importance of psychological safety. At this point, the connection between psychological safety and high performance is well established. Teams that cultivate it collaborate better, innovate more freely, and navigate challenges with greater resilience. And yet, despite all that, there are still wide misunderstandings about what psychological safety really is…and what it isn’t. Even the...
29 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Last summer our family spent a week on Vancouver Island. We took several hikes through old-growth rain forests, and the thing that struck me most wasn’t the size of the trees. It was the canopy. I don’t know that I’d ever been in a forest with such dense, connected coverage. At times there didn’t seem to be much light coming through, and yet the forest below was incredibly lush - even more vibrant than rainforests I’ve hiked in Costa Rica. That felt counterintuitive and made me...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, In training, we regularly ask people to reflect on the leader behaviors that make them feel unwilling to speak up or share their opinion. The answer we hear most often is simple and sobering: “I felt dismissed.” That single phrase reminds us of a significant reality: people leaders have an outsized influence on whether others will share their best thinking with the team, or quietly hold it back. The way a leader responds in everyday moments shapes whether people feel safe to...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Think about the last time someone brought you a problem. A teammate shared frustration about a peer. A direct report voiced concern about a decision. A colleague described something that felt stuck, unclear, or unfair. How quickly did you move to trying to solve it? Most senior leaders do not pause to fully absorb what they are hearing. They diagnose. They optimize. They offer solutions. They move the conversation forward. That instinct has probably served you well in your career....
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Last week we used a clip from Ted Lasso to explore the power of grace in building relationships. That moment showed us how unexpected compassion and empathy, especially when it feels undeserved, can become a turning point in trust and connection. As much as we love that clip, the reality is this: Most bids for connection won’t be that dramatic. They will be much more subtle. And yet how we respond to them still carries every bit the potential that Ted’s response carried for...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Human beings are wired with a negativity bias. When something goes wrong, our brains naturally give it more weight than everything that has gone right. A single disappointment, missed expectation, or awkward interaction can begin to color our entire view of a person. Over time, we stop describing behaviors and start defining character. “They have always been this way.”“They don’t take feedback well.”“They’re impossible to work with.” When we let those stories take root, we quietly...
2 months ago • 3 min read