A frustration employees often tell me is, “We never know how we’re doing; we just get told to work harder.” That’s like asking players to try harder without them knowing what the scoreboard says. Teams need to know the score. In sport, it’s obvious: it’s up on the board for everyone to see. But in leadership,…

A number of years ago we sent off a series of promo emails for a seminar. The first one landed well, so we figured the rest would follow suit. But we stopped paying attention mid-campaign and missed the slide in open rates. A quick check-in could have helped us adjust earlier and get back on…

A new leader told me recently, “I feel like I need to prove myself by doing everything.” This is a common trap. In rugby, the captain doesn’t need to be the top try-scorer. Their role is to set the tone, call the plays, and keep the team aligned. The best captains actually score less because…

Have you ever noticed how the atmosphere in the locker room before a game can set the tone for the whole match? The same applies to leadership. The “locker room”  the environment you create in meetings, daily interactions, and team spaces, shapes how your people perform. If your team walks into a meeting feeling dread,…

One of the most common frustrations I hear from managers is: “I just don’t feel like my team trusts me yet.” The mistake? Thinking trust is built in one grand moment. It’s not. Trust is like fitness training — built steadily, rep by rep, through consistent effort over time. In sport, you don’t get match-fit…

A manager I worked with recently was frustrated. “I’ve told them what needs to happen—more than once. Why aren’t they on board?” I get it. When people don’t follow through, it’s tempting to double down, re-explain, or push harder. But what I have found: You can’t force buy-in. You have to invite it.   Buy-in…