Principle #16 – Trust comes after cooperation. In that order. We love to talk about “building trust” in teams, as if it’s a mystical aura you conjure with enough vulnerability exercises and inspirational posters. But here’s the kicker: trust doesn’t show up first. Cooperation does. Think about it—most of us say, “I’ll trust them when
Principle #12 – Real skin-in-the-game creates true accountability. Ever notice how people take way better care of rental cars when the deposit is $500? That’s skin in the game—when the outcomes of a decision hit you directly. Why It Works Accountability isn’t about job titles or performance reviews. It’s about feeling the impact of your
People Energy Principle #9 – People do things for reasons, not always the reasons they give you. You’ve been there:A key project is running late. You finally corner the responsible person and ask why. They look you in the eye and give you a perfectly reasonable explanation—unexpected delays, busy schedule, competing priorities. Sounds legit. You
People Energy Principle #8 – Each human is uniquely wired for something. Notice this. Every person on your team comes wired with a unique mix of talents, quirks, and passions. Some have laser focus; others are idea factories. Some thrive in chaos; others need structure like oxygen. Yet too many leaders treat people like one-size-fits-all
People Energy Principle #7 – Change Change People by Assuming They Can’t Change You’ve probably heard it before: “People can change if they really want to!” Cute. Inspiring. Totally unreliable as a leadership strategy. The Hard Truth Most people don’t dramatically change who they are just because you gave them a pep talk or a
People Energy Principle #5 – Human nature isn’t what we wish it were. We often fall into a trap: That’s nuts. That’s not how human nature works. Reality Check on Human Nature Humans have free will. We have our own goals, values, and life purposes. We each bring unique superpowers to the table—and also quirks,
Employee engagement has been the holy grail of workplace productivity for decades. It’s the topic of countless research papers, consulting frameworks, and corporate initiatives. Yet, despite the time and money funneled into engagement surveys and strategies, organizations are still struggling with retention, performance, and innovation. The problem? The widespread beliefs about employee engagement rest on
Are you one of those people who says things like, “we should make a trade-off between the people and the business?” I think we’ve all said something like that before, maybe even recently. It seems like a reasonable question to consider doesn’t it? Or does it? Let’s think about this differently. What if we regard
Wellbeing has become an important element to consider in today’s workplace. Wellbeing is defined as the overall mental, physical, emotional, and economic health of employees. According to recent research, wellbeing is influenced by various factors such as employees’ relationships with co-workers, their decisions, and the tools and resources to which they have access. According to
In a world that feels increasingly divided, the power of purpose-driven communication has never been more vital. People respond to messages that are real, that speak to their core, and that offer a vision of a better, unified future. As a leader, your words have the potential to bring people together, to inspire and align
