Kailani had been carrying thoughts and plans on how she would execute such a role for a long time and eagerly starts applying them, to the point of ignoring the expertise of the team she inherited. She tries to make all the decisions and drive many of the lower level actions herself, resulting in her own burnout, a disgruntled team, and a boutique hotel not living up to its potential.

In analyzing Kailani’s struggle, Seth shares an enabling principle to emphasize the important role teams play in realizing a leader’s vision and that the best way to engage them is through alignment with vision rather than trying to do everything yourself.

Over time it becomes apparent that Alexei was working in a kind of information bubble - neither ensuring that others clearly understood him, nor taking the time to understand others. Because of this, he misses key problems with his plan that jeopardize the project.

In examining this problem, Seth offers an enabling principle to reinforce the notion that leaders own both sides of communication - understanding and being understood. By embracing this concept, Alexei would not only have averted disaster, but would have been able to create more impressive results.

Lucinda eagerly dives into the role but quickly falls into the busyness trap - confusing a flurry of activity with actual progress. This results in threatening the success of the project as well as her own career.

Seth explores what went wrong and offers an enabling principle to provide guidance to help you focus more on outcomes rather than tasks, and thereby achieve better results.

The scenario is that you have just taken on the CEO position at a struggling toy company and looks at attempts to rally the organization by sharing “inspiring” visions that don’t have enough clarity to actually drive forward motion.Seth follows this with an example vision that provides more clarity on the outcomes the company is trying to reach and why they are trying to reach this.

The contrast in these approaches is used to demonstrate how easy it is to cause confusion and uncertainty and to offer a path to more successful leadership.

Throughout this season, some episodes will directly explore a core principle, some will go deeper by discussing enabling principles - more granular guidance to succeeding at the core principle, and some will offer practical applications of these concepts.

Join Seth as he delves into the importance of adaptability, problem-solving, and nurturing future leaders in the face of constant change.

First, Seth discusses the inevitability of change, comparing it to how trail conditions can shift unexpectedly, requiring leaders to recognize and adapt to new realities rather than ignoring them.

Second, he emphasizes the importance of reassessing your vision and holding true to your values, even when faced with tempting but misaligned opportunities.

Third, Seth highlights that preparation isn’t about perfection but about being ready to adapt, just as hikers must be prepared for unpredictable weather and trail conditions.

Fourth, he notes that clean starts and ends are rare in both hiking and leadership, urging leaders to embrace the complexity of ongoing processes rather than seeking neat conclusions.

Lastly, Seth underscores the essence of leadership as the ability to harness and align the energy of many individuals to create meaningful change, much like coordinating a team on a challenging hike.

These five lessons serve as powerful reminders for leaders to remain flexible, value-driven, and focused on their ultimate goals, no matter what challenges they face.

Seth shares personal insights, such as his own experiences with losing sight of vision and the strategies he uses to refocus, as well as actionable tips for leading upwards in organizations. This engaging conversation not only addresses listener inquiries but also sets the stage for the upcoming season, where Seth promises to delve deeper into core leadership principles and effective communication.

Seth explores four crucial concepts:

• Defining change, uncertainty, and the unknown
• Distinguishing between future-proofing and future-prepping
• Understanding a leadership's role in the face of change
• And the three core principles of leadership

He explains that while change involves unexpected events that alter plans, uncertainty relates to risks that can be anticipated but not controlled, and the unknown encompasses unforeseen and unpredictable events.

Seth argues that leaders should focus on future-prepping—adapting and evolving with changing circumstances—rather than trying to future-proof against inevitable changes.

Listeners learn about a leader’s role in the face of change, and are reminded that if you don’t want to deal with change, you aren’t ready to lead.

Finally, Seth emphasizes the importance of vision, problem resolution, and creating leaders, providing a framework for leading effectively through change and uncertainty.

This episode offers actionable insights for leaders striving to navigate the complexities of an unpredictable world.

Seth emphasizes the importance of clear vision and alignment in leadership, illustrating how effective organizations rally together like fire ants, working collectively towards a common goal even in tough times. He challenges listeners to reflect on their own teams: Are they behaving like crabs, each pursuing individual goals at the expense of the group, or like fire ants, collaborating and adapting to ensure the survival and success of the entire organization? Seth provides actionable insights for creating a cohesive, resilient team that can navigate adversity together.

Seth emphasizes that effective leadership involves knowing when to step back, when to share, and when to push for better solutions. He argues that true team players are those who contribute their unique perspectives and expertise, fostering an environment where diverse ideas can lead to optimal outcomes.

Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences and consider how they can create a culture where everyone is comfortable expressing their thoughts, for the betterment of the team. Seth concludes by urging leaders to cultivate an atmosphere where open communication and constructive dissent are valued, ensuring that the best ideas come to the forefront.

Seth shares a compelling story about Kamaria, a VP at a logistics firm and her experiences with a rigid leader whose style stifled adaptability and ultimately led to the business unit's failure. He highlights the core principle that "leaders create more leaders," explaining how empowering those who are closest to the change is the best way to adapt and remain relevant. Seth also reflects on his own leadership journey, illustrating the value of giving teams the autonomy to drive outcomes. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their leadership skills and build a resilient, adaptable team.

Seth shares a compelling story about Jillian, a leader in a MedTech startup, who encountered the challenges of moving too quickly without clear goals. Her initial compliance with her leader's rushed directives led to confusion and inefficiency. Through Jillian's experience, Seth illustrates the importance of prioritizing outcomes over mere actions. He explains how a thoughtful pause allowed Jillian's team to reassess their needs, ultimately leading to a more effective and engaging solution. Seth concludes by reinforcing that alignment is a continuous process and encourages leaders to take deliberate steps to ensure their actions are purposeful and aligned with their vision. This episode serves as a reminder that sometimes, the best way to speed up is to slow down first.

Seth explains how this phenomenon, known as the Sunk Cost Fallacy, can trap leaders into following a failing path due to prior investments of time, effort, and resources. He discusses the importance of facing reality, embracing conflict, and maintaining flexibility to adapt to unforeseen changes. By sharing both professional and personal anecdotes, Seth illustrates the broader implications of solution fixation and offers practical advice for fostering a culture of problem resolution. Listeners are encouraged to evaluate their current challenges, reassess their solutions, and remain open to alternative approaches to achieve their desired outcomes.

Seth outlines five concepts to help leaders handle difficult conversations better:

1. Avoid opinions

2. Refrain from guessing others' thoughts or feelings

3. Focus on outcomes

4. Steer discussions towards positive change

5. Practice regularly

By applying these concepts, leaders can transform potentially contentious discussions into opportunities for constructive resolution and growth. Seth shares a personal anecdote about a challenging conversation with a team member named Felipe, demonstrating how shifting the focus to outcomes and positive change can lead to successful communication. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to improve their leadership skills and foster a more effective organizational environment.

Drawing from his extensive experience as an executive leader and coach, Seth illustrates the principles of managing conflict through real-world examples. Listeners are introduced to three types of leaders: Xavier, who avoids conflict to the detriment of team innovation; Yolanda, who thrives on confrontation but exhausts her team; and Zola, who skillfully navigates conflict to foster a collaborative and innovative environment. Seth emphasizes that productive conflict is essential for resolving problems and achieving forward motion within an organization. By building trust and encouraging diverse perspectives, leaders can create a culture of problem-solving and continuous improvement. Tune in to learn how to identify and manage necessary and productive conflict to move your team and organization forward.

However, as the company grew and Emilia delegated metrics for individual teams, the organization began to lose its sense of direction. Individual performance metrics overshadowed the collective vision, leading to confusion, mediocrity, and dwindling motivation among team members. Recognizing the need for change, Emilia rallied her leadership team to refocus on their core mission and values, emphasizing the importance of aligning individual efforts with long-term objectives. As a result, the organization underwent a transformative journey, experiencing renewed clarity, collaboration, and success. Seth underscores the power of leadership in driving forward motion through clear vision and collective aspiration, inspiring listeners to prioritize alignment and purpose within their own teams.

As Mitchell attempted to implement changes without fully understanding the company's culture, communication faltered, collaboration dwindled, and the organization's once-clear vision became obscured. Departments became siloed, pursuing individual objectives rather than a collective vision, leading to a decline in quality and reputation. Seth emphasizes the importance of maintaining a shared sense of vision and purpose to prevent organizational fracturing, highlighting the detrimental effects of individual self-interest and unchecked leadership styles. Through insightful reflection, Seth prompts listeners to assess their team dynamics and communication patterns, urging leaders to prioritize alignment and clarity to drive forward motion within their organizations.

Using the example of a leader named Marcy, the episode illustrates the consequences of lacking a clear leadership vision. Marcy’s story underscores the importance of aligning personal vision with organizational goals to avoid inefficiency and frustration within teams. The episode emphasizes the necessity for leaders to have a clear vision for themselves, their roles, and their objectives. It advocates for responding thoughtfully to challenges rather than reacting impulsively, thereby aligning actions with long-term goals and minimizing stress.

Listeners are encouraged to practice intentional responses to demands, prioritizing tasks based on their vision and organizational objectives. Over time, this approach promises increased effectiveness and reduced stress. Success is defined as achieving clarity and self-control, providing clarity to others, and enhancing effectiveness. By avoiding distractions and focusing on essential tasks, leaders can achieve more while reducing the risk of burnout.

Listeners are prompted to reflect on their motivations for leadership and consider the benefits of a well-defined vision. They are encouraged to identify one actionable step to respond rather than react to distractions, thus aligning their actions with their leadership vision.

Story 1: Carlo:
- Seth narrates the story of Carlo, a charismatic but ineffective leader at an ad agency.
- Carlo excels in rhetoric but struggles to translate vision into action, lacks clear direction, and avoids conflicts and accountability.
- The ad agency suffers from low productivity, innovation, and a toxic work environment under Carlo's leadership.

Story 2: Addison:
- Seth contrasts Carlo's story with Addison, a coffee shop manager who excels in processes and efficiency.
- However, when faced with unexpected high demand, Addison's rigid processes fail to adapt, leading to customer dissatisfaction and damage to the coffee shop's reputation.

Seth highlights the importance of understanding leadership as a balance between vision and action. He emphasizes that leaders must focus on outcomes and adapt to change, rather than solely on rhetoric or processes.
Seth explains the need for both leadership and management skills in achieving results and encourages listeners to assess their own balance between vision and action and provides strategies for improvement.

There are six key leadership lessons from my journey: 
1. Acknowledging individuality in the journey
2. Overcoming difficulties for growth
3. Embracing continuous learning from team members
4. Recognizing personal limitations and seeking support
5. Progressing through incremental steps
6. Evolving one's self-concept to constantly aim higher

Leadership is akin to reaching high altitudes - it can be strenuous, but with the right tools and principles, the journey can lead to remarkable achievements, fueled by a passion for helping others and driven by the support of a well-rounded team. As you consider your own climb, ask yourself:
- Where do you hope your leadership journey will take you?
- What challenges do you need to overcome?
- What support do you need on your journey?

In the episode, I explore two contrasting leadership styles, featuring Kai, a solid yet error-resistant leader, and Tessa, an innovative leader who empowers her team to learn from mistakes. Tessa's team thrived due to her supportive approach to mistakes, resulting in a creative and aspiring workforce. Leaders who embrace errors create space for growth and unlock the true potential of their teams. 

The principle, “We’ll Get Things Wrong Before We Get Things Right” aligns with the core idea that leadership is about getting to right, not being right. By accepting and learning from mistakes, leaders foster autonomy, inspire innovation, and create more leaders within their organizations.

Listen and discover how to:
- Allow yourself and others to make mistakes openly.
- Publicly admit mistakes and use them as opportunities for improvement.
- Redefine "right" to focus on outcomes and guiding principles.
- Encourage learning and support experimentation within your team.

Reflect on your approach to mistakes—do you give yourself and others space to learn from errors? If not, how can you reframe your interactions with your team to create a supportive environment for growth?

Through a compelling story of a VP named Eli and the challenges he faced, I explore the drawbacks of being a hands-on manager and the demotivating effects it can have on your team's growth. The key insight lies in creating autonomy, which means coaching your team and giving them the space to resolve problems and make decisions without constant supervision. I examine how to apply this principle by providing clarity and guiding principles while being available to support when needed.

Discover the signs that show you're on the right path to creating autonomy within your team. Learn how to shift your focus from micromanaging tasks to discussing outcomes and empowering your team to find their own solutions. As you create autonomy, you'll witness the growth of your team's confidence, excitement, and energy. Moreover, you'll gain the freedom to focus on higher-level challenges, strategic thinking, and shaping the future of your team and organization.

Discover why both paths can lead to demotivation and hinder lasting success. Join me as I explore the stories of Boss 1, the permission-based leader, and Boss 2, the forgiveness-driven leader. But don't worry, I won't stop there. I’ll unveil a game-changing principle: seeking alignment. Learn how aligning on outcomes and empowering your team can unleash their leadership potential and drive remarkable results. 

Consider this:
Do you really require permission or forgiveness? What leads you to that approach?
Can you provide a few guardrails to guide your team’s decision making instead of providing a list of instructions?

In this episode, I discuss the importance of creating more leaders within organizations to ensure its long-term sustainability. I share a story about Evelyn, a leader who struggled to delegate and empower her team, resulting in high stress levels, low team motivation, and an inability to take time off. The core principle highlighted is that leaders create more leaders, which fosters a learning organization and encourages the development of leadership skills in team members. The example emphasizes the need to align teams through vision and outcomes while promoting autonomy and problem-solving within the team. By adopting this principle, leaders can shift from being a bottleneck to creating an environment where team members can take ownership and make decisions independently. The ultimate goal is to build a team that can deliver durable results even in the leader's absence, contributing to the overall sustainability of the organization. 

As you listen, consider,
Are you fostering leaders or followers?
What can you start doing to be more mindful about creating leaders?

Being able to recognize what is and isn’t a problem  enables you to filter out the noise and focus energy where it really matters. Without this focus you will find your team or organization spinning their wheels with endless distractions or worse, ignoring things that actually need attention.

The three concepts to effective problem identification are:

1. Understand what a problem isn’t
2. Be clear on what actually constitutes a problem
3. Frame your problem statement in terms of outcomes

How often does organizational muscle memory kick in and provide solutions disguised as problems?

What are you currently treating as a problem that is not in fact getting in the way of reaching your Vision?

How can you apply this thinking today to re-prioritize where energy is being spent?

The enabling principle Getting to Right is More Important Than Being Right provides guidance on how to navigate this challenge. Instead of centering yourself and your ego, this principle guides us to center discussions around the outcomes we need to reach. In doing so, you shift your focus from having all the answers to asking the right questions. 

This approach is essential to problem resolution as it helps create space for the people you lead to bring their own expertise to the solution rather than just being told what to do. This creates excitement, energy, and ownership.

Look for times when you’ve held yourself back from engaging because you don’t have answers and think what questions you could have asked to get to a better spot.
Think about how to apply that in the future. If you find yourself pushing answers out and telling people what to do…hold back, ask questions, and guide them.

By design, we should lead teams with people that bring different perspectives as diversity of thought helps drive innovation. However, if you can’t resolve the different points of view and converge on a solution, you’ll burn time and energy in an endless swirl.

The enabling principle Conflict is Rooted in Solving Different Problems helps to remind us that sometimes we need to take a step back when we experience solution paralysis. Rather than continuing to spin endlessly in debate, you should help re-center the team and make sure everyone has a consistent understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve and the assumptions and constraints you’re each working with. In doing this, you can then converge on a solution.

Listen to the discussions, the debates, the arguments you and your team get involved in. Do you think you all have the same understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve? Do you ever ask people to discuss their assumptions? If not, think about how you can get everyone back to common ground and reset the conversation.

It typically starts small and subtly and there’s usually a “good reason” to make exceptions “just this one time”. But over time this creates new norms regardless of what values you have posted on the office walls. 

The enabling principle of Course Correct Early is a leadership drive to hold true to your vision, your principles, and your values. It’s not that exceptions can’t be made, but rather understanding the precedent your team is creating. 

This principle involves striking a balance - It’s impossible to prevent every bad thing from happening, and sometimes the desire to do so can lead us to over-engineer and over-process to the point of also having a negative impact. On the other hand letting things go too far moves us from incidental problems to more systemic challenges.

We need to be vigilant - ready and willing to recognize when something is getting in the way of achieving our desires and not let it rot away at our organization. This is what your principles are for - to give you the guidance on what you should be vigilant for so that you can course correct early.

What problems are you letting slide now for expediency or any other reason?

Is this a one-time occurrence that makes sense as an exception? Or is it the start of a downward slide? Or does it mean you don’t have the right principles and values in place?

Every team and organization has problems. The measure of a successful organization is not an absence of problems, but rather how well team members rally to resolve them.

“Leaders Resolve Problems” doesn’t mean fixing everything that comes your way as a leader, but rather ensuring your team is in an environment that can effectively deal with the unexpected and/or undesired.

Key to creating this environment is the ability to face reality, no matter how unpleasant it might be. There are many reasons that individuals and teams may not be willing to face, or at least give voice to, reality: blame throwing culture, fear of punishment, fear of seeming inept, fear of appearing too negative, and more.

Leaders need to create the space for people to feel comfortable raising issues. Fostering a spirit of problem resolution throughout your team is essential for creating a healthy environment where the people you lead can collectively handle adversity and remain effectively focused on getting to the right results

What do you think is preventing your team from raising a hand and pointing out problems? 

What is preventing you from addressing problems when the team does raise a hand?

What can you do to help change that culture and build trust?

There’s a lot of meeting advice out there that centers on the agenda. I think agendas are good, but they’ve been elevated to a stature that far exceeds their actual use. I’ve attended plenty of meetings where a dogmatic adherence to the agenda is actually what made them bad meetings.

To make your meetings better, I offer the following five steps:

1. Define the desired outcomes and impacts that should result from the meeting

2. Identify possible participants based on what value they provide and/or what value they receive

3. Size the meeting appropriately - based on who provides and receives value, pare the list to what is needed to meet the desired outcomes

4. Set the duration to reach the objectives, have a plan. and end the meeting when objectives are reached

5. Make sure all attendees are truly present

Getting this right will bring much more clarity to everyone involved and make it easier to actually make your time together truly valuable.

What are you going to change for meetings you've scheduled tomorrow?

How will you encourage others to clean up?

What meetings shouldn't you attend this week?

The enabling principle “People Thrive When They Own Their Work” helps unlock the power of a clear Vision. Giving the people you lead enough clarity in what you’re trying to achieve and the space to achieve it helps them to:

• Feel connected to bigger results
• See how they have the ability to apply and perhaps even grow their expertise
• Bring joy and pride into their every day

It’s challenging to develop this kind of motivation without the true sense of ownership that comes from bringing your expertise to bear on meaningful challenges.

It can feel natural to lead by telling, but you won’t inspire true forward motion without encouraging a strong sense of ownership.

How are you talking about the work your team is doing?

Have you made connections between each of their individual jobs and how that contributes to their growth, to the team’s growth, to positive impacts on the entire organization?

How can you make those outcomes clearer to them in a way that allows them to take on ownership and move things forward?

The enabling principle “Doing Less Lets You Achieve More” reminds you to focus first on what you want to achieve and to limit the energy spent on what you “do” to laser focus on your goals.

While some might think that saying “yes” to every opportunity will help you succeed, that can often lead to you being overwhelmed. Filtering what you commit to based on what you want and need to achieve will help ensure your success.

Are you and your team accomplishing the things you need to achieve? Write down all the things that you and your team have on your plate right now and then ask yourself "why are you doing each one?" Is it aligned with your Vision or is it a distraction?

The enabling principle “Bias to Outcome > Bias to Action” centers your focus on what needs to be achieved. A bias to outcome helps align and filter actions in service of achieving meaningful results.

It’s difficult to get alignment if everyone is focused solely on “doing” and checking tasks off of lists. Forward motion towards realizing a vision requires a bias to outcome.

Are you talking to your team about *tasks* or *outcomes*? If you're talking only about tasks, how can you start changing the dialog?

As you start focusing more on outcomes, is your team working on tasks that aren't aligned with those outcomes? How can you change that?

“Leaders Provide Vision” is the first core principle of leadership. To be clear, a Vision is more than a pithy vision statement .

A Vision:

1. Gives a strong sense of purpose to unite teams in making clear decisions
2. Has enough information to provide clarity on what you want to achieve
3. In combining those two, provides the ability to inspire forward motion.

Without this clarity, teams and organizations have no “favorable winds” and struggle to make meaningful progress.

Are you working with a Vision that meets the three criteria above? If not, what can you do today to start changing that?

These insights center around three core principles of leadership:

• Leaders Provide Vision
• Leaders Resolve Problems
• Leaders Create More Leaders

Applying these principles and other support concepts will help you grow and develop your own authentic leadership. Each episode will provide a few insights and takeaways to help you improve your skills in small ways each week.