The Leadership Briefing

The Humble Leader Makes Room for Others to Grow Some leaders need to be the smartest person in every conversation. They provide the answer before others finish describing the problem. They correct every imperfect idea. They hold onto decisions that someone else may be ready to make. The team may become efficient at following instructions. It does not become capable of leading. Humility changes how authority is used. The humble leader does not disappear or pretend to have nothing valuable to...

Support Should Strengthen the Team, Not Create Dependence When someone on your team is struggling, you naturally want to help. Sometimes that means stepping in. You may need to remove an obstacle, find additional resources, or temporarily carry part of the burden. But your desire to help can also lead you to take back the decision, solve the problem yourself, or protect someone from an experience that might strengthen their judgment. The immediate pressure decreases. So does the employee’s...

Build the Relationship Before You Need It Last week, a college student asked me to name one of the most important things I have learned during my career. My answer was simple: everyone is different. People have different needs, face different challenges, and bring different experiences to work. I have learned how important it is to try to understand one another, offer some grace, and avoid taking everything personally. That last part can take some practice. When someone responds abruptly or...

Most workplace conflicts do not begin as formal complaints. They begin with a dismissive comment, a vague expectation, an email written in frustration, or a concern that no one addresses. The first incident may seem too small to justify a difficult conversation. The manager waits. The people involved begin interpreting one another’s motives. Colleagues take sides. A disagreement about the work becomes a judgment about the people. By the time the conflict reaches Human Resources, it is no...

When fewer employees resign, leaders may assume the organization is becoming healthier. Turnover is down. Experienced people are staying. Positions are easier to fill internally. From a distance, the workforce appears stable. But stability and commitment are not the same thing. Some employees remain because they believe in the mission, trust their leaders, and see a future within the organization. Others remain because changing jobs feels too risky, family obligations limit their options, or...

Technology Can Redesign Work. It Cannot Form the People Who Lead It. A company can deploy new technology, redraw its organizational chart, and establish ambitious productivity goals. But it cannot order people to trust the transformation. Trust is built when leaders tell the truth, listen to those closest to the work, and remain accountable for the consequences of their decisions. These responsibilities cannot be delegated to an algorithm. They are the work of leadership. This distinction...

When Leadership Becomes a Responsibility You Cannot Ignore Many of the best leaders I have known were not chasing leadership positions. They were not collecting titles or looking for authority. In fact, some had to be encouraged to step forward. That instinct can be healthy. Leadership should never become primarily about status. But there is another side to humility that we discuss less often: Sometimes we are called to accept responsibility we did not seek. A recent study of 286 working...

Organizations are under pressure to become faster, leaner, and less bureaucratic. In response, many are flattening structures, widening spans of control, and eliminating layers of management. I have expereinced this recently within my organization with the federal government. Some of this restructuring is overdue. Excessive approvals, duplicated reporting, and unclear accountability can slow good people down. Removing unnecessary bureaucracy can strengthen an organization. But there is a...

Leading in a challenging environment can test even the most experienced leader. Resources are limited. Expectations continue to rise. Employees are tired. Change seems constant, and every decision carries consequences for people who may already be carrying more than we realize. In that environment, leaders often hear that they need to “stay positive.” That advice is not wrong, but it can be incomplete. Remaining positive does not mean ignoring difficult realities, minimizing legitimate...

Be a Connector, Not a Collector The servant leader’s approach to building and stewarding relationships Most of us were taught to think about networking like collecting. Collect more contacts. Meet more “important” people. Grow your reach. Build a list of people you might call one day for advice, an intro, or an opportunity. And there’s nothing wrong with building a strong network. Relationships matter. They open doors, stretch our thinking, and create opportunities we wouldn’t find on our...