I coach middle school football.
Twelve-year-olds don't lie to you. They don't performance-manage. They don't fake engagement.
When they're checked out, you know. When they believe in something, you know that too.
Last season, we made it to the county championship game. Didn't win. But what happened in that locker room after the loss was the most powerful leadership moment I've experienced in years — including in business.
Every kid cried. Every kid said...
Every kid cried. Every kid said they'd do it again. Every kid talked about what they were going to do differently next year.
That's what culture looks like when it works. People are so bought in that even the hard moments make them more committed, not less.
I try to build the same thing in every organization I work with.
Invest in the person. Build the system around them. Hold the standard.
It works on the football field. It works in the warehouse. It works in the boardroom.
The Dream Dividend podcast drops new episodes every week. This season we're talking to the people building organizations that actually work — for humans.
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What's a leadership lesson you learned somewhere unexpected?