Hi Reader, The success of the Artemis II mission is remarkable. It reflects years of innovation, coordination, and progress toward something that once again feels just beyond our reach. But what stood out most wasn’t just what they accomplished. It was how they prepared. This wasn’t just a group of capable individuals. It was a team that had been preparing to operate together long before launch. Too often, we focus on individual development and growth, hoping it will translate into better...
11 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Each year, Gallup releases its State of the Global Workplace report, offering a clear look at how people are experiencing work. This year’s report surfaces a trend that should give leaders pause. Overall engagement hit its lowest point since 2020, but more concerning is where that decline is happening. Managers, the very group organizations rely on most to drive engagement, are experiencing the most significant decline. Gallup has led the way in helping organizations to understand...
18 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency, published a document called the Simple Sabotage Field Manual. It was not written for trained operatives, but for ordinary citizens living in enemy-controlled territories during World War II. The goal was to help everyday people disrupt organizations from the inside. Rather than relying on dramatic acts of destruction, the manual focused on small, consistent behaviors that would quietly...
25 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, One of our primary hopes for this newsletter is that you regularly find new sources of inspiration to strengthen the connection and performance of your team. That same motivation led us to create a YouTube channel last year. We’ve found that some stories and lessons are more effectively explored through dialogue and video. There’s something powerful about watching a team in action, hearing how leaders think through challenges, and unpacking what is actually happening beneath the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, When leaders hear the phrase leadership team, they almost always think about the executive team. As you have heard us say before, that group carries enormous responsibility. It shapes strategy, culture, and the overall direction of the organization. But in most organizations, the executive team is not the only group responsible for leading. As organizations grow, departments, regions, and major functions often operate at a scale that requires their own leadership team - small...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
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...
about 2 months 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...
about 2 months 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...
about 2 months 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...
2 months ago • 3 min read