A leadership guide to developing people, building strategy, and fixing culture
I was a few weeks into coaching a Scrum Master when I watched her team almost throw away one of the best opportunities they had all sprint. We walked into the Sprint Review, the project sponsor was on the call, and the meeting opened with: “Alright, we got a lot of work done
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Today is a strange day. It’s the last day of the first major contract Stephens Insight Group has ever had with a Fortune 500 company, four years after I started this company from nothing. I should probably feel some kind of ending today. Instead I keep thinking about a question
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Most leaders believe they value their team. The gap isn’t in intention, it’s in execution. Feeling appreciation for the people around you and actually communicating it in ways they experience are two very different things. And the distance between them is where engagement erodes, trust quietly breaks down, and great
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Page Contents The Myth of the Singular Leader What It Means to Truly Value Your People The Trust Loop The Compounding Returns of Human Investment When Leaders Get This Wrong A Different Kind of Leadership Identity Ask most leaders what their most important asset is, and they’ll point to something
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Page Contents Be transparent about how you’re deciding Know when to decide alone and when to decide together Know what kind of decision you’re making Separate the data from the story you’re telling yourself Invite dissent before you need it Distinguish urgency from importance Own the outcome even when you’re
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There is a moment every leader dreads: a great employee walks into your office, closes the door, and tells you they’re moving on. The instinct is loss, maybe even failure. But before you spiral into what went wrong, consider what the data is telling us about where leadership actually stands
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Page Contents 1. You’re More Comfortable Taking Credit Than Giving It 2. Your Best People Make You Nervous 3. You Find It Hard to Let Go 4. Your Meetings Are More About You Than You Realize 5. Feedback Feels Like an Attack 6. Your Team Can’t Predict You The Real
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Page Contents Protect your energy like it’s a budget Log off Find someone you can be honest with Remember why you actually wanted this If you’re reading this during a lunch break you’re technically not taking, on a phone that hasn’t left your hand since 6 am, while mentally drafting
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Page Contents 1. See the Whole Person, Not Just the Worker 2. Create Mental Safety 3. Invest in Their Growth 4. Listen Like It Matters, Because It Does 5. Recognize and Honor Contribution 6. Protect Their Wellbeing There’s a version of leadership most of us were taught: set goals, drive
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Page Contents 1. Separate the Issue From the Person 2. Make Expectations Clear Before Conflict Arises 3. Slow the Conversation Down so Emotions Don’t Take Over 4. Anchor Disagreements in Shared Goals 5. Intervene Early With Curiosity, Not Control Contention isn’t a sign that something is broken, it’s a sign
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