Hi Reader, Years ago, I worked with a CEO who loved to celebrate people throughout our organization. One day he highlighted Dave, a facilities team member, during a leadership meeting. He invited him into the meeting and then began to gush over him as he stood next to Dave. “Did you know Dave got the entire cafeteria primed and painted in half the time it took the last contractor? I’ve been a school administrator for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anyone as productive. In fact, he’s not Dave....
12 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, We once worked with a CEO who had personally managed the finances of his business for more than 30 years. Everything ran through him, and no one else in the company understood the financial model. When we finally convinced him to share the financials with his leadership team for the first time, something remarkable happened. In that very first meeting, one of the leaders spotted an opportunity in a revenue stream she hadn’t realized was so significant. She adjusted her priorities...
19 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Opening up challenging conversations in a team setting can feel risky. You wonder how people will react. You’re not sure if you’ll be able to navigate the tension or complexity. What if it makes things worse? These are valid concerns. In our experience, many leaders share them. Sometimes it's a fear of people's feelings being hurt. Sometimes it's a fear that you won’t be able to find alignment on a complex issue with a diverse range of perspectives. When this fear is in the driver...
26 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Years ago I led an information management team. There was one team member, let’s call him John, who I struggled to connect with. John came across as a bit of a know-it-all. He talked a lot, didn’t appear to listen well, and I quietly typecast him as your stereotypical arrogant IT guy. I respected his skills but found him hard to connect with, and truthfully, I didn’t try that hard. But then something changed. I had decided to try a new practice with the team, something to help us...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, The Bear is back for season 4, and it inspired us to revisit one of our favorite episodes from Season 2, Forks. The focus of the episode is on cousin Richie. Up to this point, he has been mostly defensive, directionless, and stuck in his ways. Just about everyone can’t stand being around him. But then, surprisingly a week training in a different restaurant, gives him a sense of purpose that would lead to meaningful change for him. Richie is sent to stage at a 3-star Michelin...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, There’s no doubt that individual learning can have a big impact. Reading books, listening to podcasts, and receiving coaching can have a big impact on how you lead, and certainly can spark personal growth and equip you to lead your team more effectively. But if the goal is to truly transform how a team works, how they communicate, make decisions, stay aligned, and navigate challenges, that change isn’t likely to come from individual insights alone. Team-level change requires...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, If we care about building a healthy culture, accountability shouldn’t feel like the enemy. And yet, it often does. In our work coaching leaders, we see it all the time: Leaders who deeply care about creating a connected, high-trust environment often struggle the most when it comes to addressing the very behaviors that are holding their team back. They want to foster a culture of care and belonging. They want people to feel safe, valued, and supported. But when it’s time to address...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Let’s be honest: we’ve all made countless attempts to manage change effectively. We’ve held all-hands meetings, run senior leader offsites, restructured teams, reallocated resources – and thought long and hard about the right frameworks to apply. But for all that effort, the results on the ground rarely match the aspiration. Change is one of the most revisited – and least resolved – challenges faced by organizational leaders. The idea that “people don’t like change” continues to...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader, You’ve probably heard the advice:“Praise in public, criticize in private.” This well known quote, popularized by Vince Lombardi and Ken Blanchard, has led to a significant misunderstanding about accountability in teams. For many teams it sends an unintended message: Any form of accountability, candor and conflict are best addressed privately. When all critical feedback is kept behind closed doors, teams miss out on some of the most powerful moments for team learning, alignment and...
3 months ago • 3 min read