#63. How to Lead When "De-Escalation" Isn't Enough: 5 Things to Say in a Crisis

#64. Everyone Wants Leadership Skills. Nobody Wants to Do Leadership.

You know what good leadership looks like. The question is whether you're actually doing it. I want to ask you something, and I want you to answer it honestly. When was the last time you did something as a leader that genuinely made you uncomfortable? Not slightly awkward. Actually uncomfortable — where you had to push through real resistance to do it. If you can't answer that quickly, this episode is for you. Because leadership isn't something you learn. It's something you do. And most people are confusing the two.

#63. How to Lead When "De-Escalation" Isn't Enough: 5 Things to Say in a Crisis

"De-escalation" is the word of the day. But what does it mean? Should you use this word to reply to the tension your team is feeling? Is it a good way to address the activities of ICE in the US if you're working in the US? As someone who's half German with a father who lived through Nazi Germany, I've learned silence is never neutral. My personal history has taught me that there are times when you need to speak up.  In this episode, I break down calculated vs. cautious leadership and give you 5 things to say (with real language) plus 5 mistakes to avoid when your team needs you to lead. This topic can feel scary, and I address that head-on. Say something real, not something safe, leader.

#62. Stretch Goals Are a Lie: How to Actually Develop Your Team

Stretch goals came out of Jack Welch's GE in the 1990s. Corporate America has been obsessed with them ever since. And they don't work. Here's what actually happens: You dump work on someone, disappear, and call it development. That's not a stretch goal. That's abandonment. In this episode, I'm replacing stretch goals entirely with a 5-step framework for developing people by letting go of work—with structure, coaching, and support. You'll learn how to identify what you're hoarding, slice work into learnable pieces, and coach people through it without taking the work back the first time they struggle. This is Part 3 of the Development Reckoning series. If you haven't listened to Parts 1 and 2, start there first. Stop the chase. Grow in place. Starting with the work you're holding onto right now.

#61. The Development Reckoning: A 90-Day Plan

You need an easy plan to begin to level up your team members. In this episode, I share ideas on how to create a simple 90-day plan to change the capabilities of a team member.  This is episode 2 in a 3-part series about The Development Reckoning. Hiring is frozen, you never really paid attention to the people you hired as you kept chasing to hire more, and you now realize you need more out of the people on your team now.

#60. The Development Reckoning: What to Do When Your Team Can't Leave

Hiring is slowing way down as we start 2026.  For years, you've been chasing the next hire, the better candidate, the person who's finally going to solve all your problems. And the people who actually showed up? You gave them onboarding and then . . . nothing! But 66% of CEOs recently said  they're cutting headcount or keeping it flat in 2026. Attrition's plummeting. Hiring's frozen.  People aren't leaving. They're staying put. Which means you're stuck with teams you never bothered to develop. This is what I'm calling The Development Reckoning. In this episode, I'm sharing 5 ideas to build the people you've been ignoring as well as 5 mistakes to avoid.