How fear disrupts learning, trust, and accountability What if your team’s resistance isn’t a mindset problem at all—but a fear problem you haven’t named yet? I met with a leader recently who was exploring a workshop for her team. As we talked through what she hoped would change, she admitted she’d been struggling with a lack of accountability and cohesion on her team. She paused for a moment, clearly frustrated and a little confused, and finally said, “They just need to have a growth...

"The conversations that matter most have a way of destabilizing us. What if they didn't have to?" Why Groundedness Changes Everything Many years ago, when I was working as a non-profit Executive Director, a board member who was held in high esteem reached out to talk to me about one of my senior staff. He wanted to share some first-hand concerns and some frustration that had bubbled up from other Board members. He was precise, to the point, and constructive. He started the conversation by...

Build trust through ownership, not punishment. What if accountability wasn’t something your team feared, but something they trusted? I’ve sat with some teams where “accountability” meant a closed-door meeting, an edge in everyone’s voice, and a tense email thread that lingered long after the issue was “resolved.” And I’ve sat with teams where that same word meant gathering around a whiteboard, naming what’s real, and figuring out how to move forward together. Same word. Completely different...