July 15, 2025 • 18 mins
How People-First Leaders Handle What Bosses Just React To
Episode Description:
It’s easy to lead when everything’s running smoothly. But real leadership shows up in the messy moments—the missed deadlines, the underperforming team member, the big mistake that lands in your inbox first thing Monday morning.
In this episode of Things Leaders Do, Colby walks through five real-world scenarios leaders face every week—and shows how a people-first leader responds differently than a reactive boss.
From late arrivals to burned-out top performers, you’ll see the stark contrast between managing behavior and developing people. Through story, insight, and practical conversation prompts, Colby helps you shift from reacting to root causes to responding with intentionality, clarity, and compassion.
You’ll also hear insights inspired by Jon Acuff’s Soundtracks and Jocko Willink’s Extreme Ownership, and how the mindsets of great leaders shape their teams for the long haul.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How to handle chronic lateness without sacrificing accountability
- Why missed deadlines are often symptoms, not problems
- What to do when a high performer starts to disengage
- How to keep your best people from burning out
- How to turn a costly mistake into a system improvement
If you're ready to lead differently, respond thoughtfully, and create a culture where people grow—not just perform—this episode is for you.
Connect with Colby:
🔗 nxtstepadvisors.com
🔗 Colby on LinkedIn
Whether you're looking for coaching, training, or a keynote that moves your leaders to action—Colby helps you build a culture that performs and lasts.
Because caring for your people and getting results aren't opposites.
That’s what leaders do.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Picture this it's 9.15 am on a Tuesday.
Sarah, one of your usuallypunctual team members walks in
late.
For a third time this week.
Your inbox is alreadyoverflowing.
You've got back-to-backmeetings, and now this what's
your first thought?
Well, if you're like mostmanagers, it's probably
(00:25):
something like seriously Again,maybe you're already mentally
drafting that disciplinary email.
But what if I told you thatyour response in the next 60
seconds will either build trustor destroy it, that it will
either solve the real problem orjust create new ones.
(00:49):
Hello leaders, and welcome backto the TLD podcast.
I'm Colby Morris and I'm hereto help you lead with clarity,
courage and compassion,especially when your first
instinct is to react instead ofrespond.
Today, we're diving deep intofive workplace scenarios that
(01:09):
happen every single day inoffices across the world.
But here's the twist we'regoing to see how a typical boss
handles each situation versushow a people-first leader
approaches the exact samechallenge.
And we're not just talkingtheory here.
I'm going to walk you throughreal conversations, actual
(01:31):
responses and the long-termimpact of each approach, because
the difference between being aboss and being a leader isn't
just about titles.
It's about how you show up whenthings get messy.
All right, let's go back toSarah.
Okay, we're going to call thisscenario one the employee who's
(01:52):
suddenly late a lot, sarah,she's had three late arrivals in
five days.
For someone who's usually early, this is a red flag.
Now the boss's response wouldlook something like this Sarah,
you've been late three timesthis week.
That's unacceptable Per companypolicy.
(02:14):
This is a formal verbal warningand if it happens again, we'll
move to written documentation.
Any questions?
Clean, simple, policy-driven,but completely ineffective.
The people first leaderresponse is going to be
(02:35):
something like this hey, sarah,can we chat for a few minutes?
Hey, I noticed you've beencoming in later than usual this
week.
That's not like you.
You're typically here before me.
Is everything okay?
Notice what just happened there.
The leader acknowledged thepattern, but started with
(02:57):
curiosity, not judgment.
They referenced Sarah's normalbehavior, showing they actually
pay attention to their people.
Here's how that conversationmight continue.
Sarah would say I know thissounds personal, but my child
care situation just fell through.
My regular babysitter moved andI'm scrambling to find someone
(03:18):
reliable.
I've been dropping my daughteroff at my mom's house, but she
lives across town and thetraffic's just been.
Sarah, thank you for telling me.
I wish you'd felt comfortablebringing this up sooner.
Let's figure out a solution.
What if we adjusted yourschedule temporarily?
Could you come in at like 9 30,maybe stay till 6 30 or
(03:43):
something like that.
Look, this isn't about loweringstandards.
It's about understanding thatlife happens and good people
need support to perform at theirbest.
John Acuff talks about thesoundtracks that are always
playing in our heads.
If you haven't read soundtrack,you really need to.
The boss's soundtrack here isshe's become unreliable.
(04:07):
It's time to crack down.
But the leader soundtrack wassomething's changed.
Let me find out what.
If you know who Jocko Willinkis, he's the author of Extreme
Ownership.
Jocko would say there are nobad teams, only bad leaders.
(04:28):
If you haven't created anenvironment where people feel
safe bringing up personalchallenges that affect their
work, you're part of the problem.
Six months later, sarah wasback to her normal schedule, but
(04:49):
she never forgot that herleader had her back when she
needed it most.
All right, let's move toscenario two, the missed
deadline.
It's Friday at 5 pm.
The Johnson report was duetoday and it's not done.
The client is expecting itMonday morning.
(05:10):
The boss's response Mike,where's the Johnson report?
It was due today.
This is completely unacceptable.
We promised the client Mondaydelivery and now we're behind.
I need you to stay late tonightto get this finished.
And the next time if you'regoing to miss a deadline, at
least give me a heads upfinished.
And the next time if you'regoing to miss a deadline, at
least give me a heads up.
The boss is frustrated, andrightfully so, but they're
(05:33):
treating the symptom, not thedisease.
The people first.
Leader response looks more likethis hey, mike, I'm looking for
the Johnson report.
Can you help me understand whathappened?
I want to make sure we get thisright for the client and figure
out how to prevent this.
Moving forward, I got stuck onthe data analysis section.
I've been working on it allweek, but I couldn't get the
(05:55):
numbers to match what wediscussed in the initial meeting
.
Okay, so you've been working onit, but you hit a roadblock.
When did you first realize thenumbers weren't matching?
Tuesday afternoon, got it, andwhat stopped you from reaching
out?
Then I thought I could figureit out, but I didn't want to
bother you.
(06:15):
Now we're getting somewhere.
See, this isn't about Mikebeing lazy or missing deadlines.
This is about Mike strugglingwith a technical challenge and
not feeling comfortable orcomfortable enough to ask for
help.
Mike, I appreciate you wantingto solve problems independently.
(06:36):
That's a strength.
But when you're stuck onsomething this critical, I need
you to reach out, not becauseyou're bothering me, but because
that's how we deliver qualitywork on time.
The leader would then sit downwith Mike, help resolve the data
issue and then deliver thereport by Monday.
But, more importantly, they'veestablished that asking for help
(07:00):
is a sign of strength, notweakness.
Jocko's principle of extremeownership applies here.
If your team fails, you failed.
The leader asks themselves didI check in enough?
Did I make it clear thatquestions were welcome?
Did I create psychologicalsafety for Mike to admit when he
(07:23):
was stuck?
All right, let's move toscenario three, the high
performer who's suddenlydisengaged.
Jessica has been your starplayer for two years.
She's the one who stays late,volunteers for extra projects
and consistently exceedsexpectations, but lately she's
(07:46):
been doing the bare minimum.
Her energy is flat.
She's not contributing inmeetings like she used.
To the boss's response Jessica,I've noticed your performance
has been slipping lately.
You're not showing the sameinitiative you used to.
Are you still committed to thisrole?
Because we need people who aregoing to give 110%.
See, the boss is concernedabout declining performance, but
(08:11):
they're approaching it like adiscipline issue, a people first
leader response is more likeJessica, I'd love to get your
perspective on something.
Over the past few weeks, I'venoticed you've seen less engaged
than usual.
You're still doing good work,but you don't seem as energized
(08:31):
as you typically are.
What's going on?
What's going on?
I don't know.
I guess I'm just feeling stuck,stuck, how Like I feel, like
I'm doing the same things overand over.
I used to learn something newevery week, but now it feels
(08:52):
like I'm just going through themotions.
That makes sense.
You've mastered your currentrole and we haven't really
talked about what's next for you, and that's on me.
See, this is where John Acuff'sconcept of changing your
soundtrack becomes crucial.
The boss's soundtrack was she'schecked out and needs to be
motivated.
The leader's soundtrack wasshe's ready for a new challenge,
(09:15):
and I haven't provided one.
The conversation continues.
What would you want to work onif you could design your ideal
next six months?
I'd love to learn more aboutthe strategic side of what we do
.
I understand the execution, butI want to understand the why
behind our decisions.
Okay, well, let's make thathappen.
(09:38):
What if we started having yousit in on the Monday strategy
meetings?
I mean, I could use help withthe Q3 planning process if
you're interested.
Six months later, jessica waspromoted to a senior role, not
because she complained, butbecause her leader recognized
that high performers need growth, not just praise.
(09:58):
All right.
Scenario four the high performerwho's burning out.
This is Tom.
Tom's reliable skilled.
He never says no.
He's become the go-to personfor urgent projects, complex
(10:18):
problems, last-minute requests.
He's literally working 55-hourweeks and hasn't taken a
vacation in what?
18 months?
The boss's response Tom, I knowyou're busy, but I need to give
you one more project.
The Morrison account is blowingup and you're the only one who
can handle it.
Look, I know it's a lot, butthis is why we pay you the big
(10:41):
bucks.
Right?
The boss sees Tom as theirsecret weapon and keeps pulling
the trigger, but the peoplefirst leader would say something
more like Tom, before I ask youto take on anything else, I
need to check in with you.
You've been carrying a heavyload lately.
How are you feeling about yourworkload right now?
(11:04):
Honestly, man, I'm exhausted.
I don't want to let the teamdown.
Tom, you're not letting anyonedown by being honest about your
capacity.
In fact, you're helping me be abetter leader by giving me real
information.
What would need to change foryou to feel more I don't know
(11:25):
sustainable in your role?
I think I need to pass on theserecurring tasks to other team
members.
I keep taking them on becauseit's faster than training
someone else, but now I'mdrowning.
That's exactly the kind ofinsight I need.
Let's look at your task listand figure out what can be
(11:47):
redistributed, and I want you totake next Friday off.
No emails, no calls.
You need a break.
Here's what the leaderunderstands, that the boss
doesn't.
Burning out your best people isa short-term gain that creates
long-term problems.
Jocko would say disciplineequals freedom.
(12:08):
The discipline of protectingyour people's capacity creates
the freedom for sustained highperformance the freedom for
sustained high performance.
And, by the way, three monthslater, tom was more productive
than ever because he was workingat a sustainable pace and the
team was stronger because othermembers had developed new skills
(12:29):
.
All right.
Scenario five the big mistake.
It's 10 am on Thursday.
You just got a call from yourbiggest client.
The proposal your teamsubmitted yesterday contains a
critical error that could costthem about $50,000.
The mistake was made by Amy,who's been with the company for
(12:52):
six months.
The boss's response Amy, I justgot off the phone with our
biggest client.
There's a major error in theproposal you submitted.
This could cost them $50,000.
How did this happen?
This is exactly the kind ofmistake we cannot afford to make
.
The boss is in damage controlmode, but they're making Amy
(13:13):
feel like the mistake definesher.
The people first leader wouldsay Amy, I need to talk to you
about the Morrison proposal.
There's an error in the costcalculation that we need to
address immediately.
But first I want you to knowthat mistakes happen.
(13:34):
We're going to fix thistogether.
Can you walk me through yourprocess?
For the cost section, I usedthe template from the Henderson
proposal, but I think I mighthave missed updating one of the
multipliers.
Okay, well, let's look at thattogether.
Show me exactly what you did.
They sit down.
(13:55):
They go through the processstep by step and identify not
just what went wrong but why itwent wrong.
The template wasn't clear andthere was no checklist for
switching between client pricingstructures.
Amy, this wasn't just yourmistake.
This was a system failure.
(14:15):
The template should have beenclearer.
We should have had a reviewprocess for proposals this size.
Here's what we're going to do.
First, we're going to fix thisimmediately.
Second, we're going to improvethe template so this doesn't
happen again.
And third, we're going toimplement a peer review process
(14:37):
for all proposals over $100,000.
John Acuff reminds us that we'realways writing soundtracks in
our heads.
The boss's soundtrack was she'scareless and caught his money.
The leader's soundtrack wasthis is a learning opportunity
(14:58):
and a chance to improve oursystems.
Six months later, amy was oneof the most detail oriented team
members and the new proposalprocess prevented three similar
errors.
Look, here's what I've learnedafter about 20 years of
leadership.
The difference between a bossand a people-first leader isn't
about being soft or being hard.
It's about being smart.
(15:20):
It's about being real.
It's about being human.
Bosses react to symptoms.
Leaders respond to the rootcauses.
Bosses focus on the immediateproblem.
Leaders focus on the long-termsolution.
Bosses manage behavior.
Leaders develop people.
(15:42):
And here's the thing that mightsurprise you People-first
leadership isn't just better foryour team, it's better for your
results.
When Sarah felt supported duringher childcare crisis, she
became more loyal and moreproductive than ever.
When Mike learned it was safeto ask for help, he stopped
(16:03):
making preventable mistakes.
When Jessica got a newchallenge, she became a leader
herself.
When Tom's workload becamesustainable, his quality
improved dramatically when Amywas coached.
Through her mistake, she becameone of the most reliable team
members.
So here's your challenge thisweek.
This week, I want you to catchyourself in the moment when
(16:26):
something goes wrong, whensomeone disappoints you, when
you feel that familiarfrustration rising.
Pause, ask yourself am I aboutto react like a boss or am I
going to respond like a leader?
Then ask the person hey, helpme understand what happened here
(16:50):
.
The person hey, help meunderstand what happened here.
And then and this is thecrucial part actually listen to
their answer.
Don't pretend to listen.
Okay, listen to understand,because here's the truth Most
workplace problems aren't peopleproblems.
(17:10):
They're communication problems,system problems or clarity
problems dressed up as peopleproblems, and you can't solve
those with policy and punishment.
You solve them with curiosity,compassion and a commitment to
get better together, commitmentto get better together.
(17:32):
Look, if you're working onbecoming a more people-first
leader, I'm here to help.
Whether it's a one-on-onecoaching, equipping your
managers with leadership tools,or speaking at your next event,
I'd love to support the workyou're doing.
You can reach out to me atnextstepadvisorscom that's N-X-T
(17:53):
, no E stepadvisorscom.
Or you can connect with me onLinkedIn.
Both of those links will be inthe show notes.
At the end of the day,leadership isn't about being
right.
It's about getting resultsthrough people.
And the best way to get resultsthrough people is to actually
(18:15):
care about the people.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader,
be sure to subscribe to thepodcast and listen to next
week's episode.
Until next time, keep workingon being a better leader by
doing the things that leaders do.
Picture this it's 9.15 am on a Tuesday.
Sarah, one of your usuallypunctual team members walks in
late.
For a third time this week.
Your inbox is alreadyoverflowing.
You've got back-to-backmeetings, and now this what's
your first thought?
Well, if you're like mostmanagers, it's probably
(00:25):
something like seriously Again,maybe you're already mentally
drafting that disciplinary email.
But what if I told you thatyour response in the next 60
seconds will either build trustor destroy it, that it will
either solve the real problem orjust create new ones.
(00:49):
Hello leaders, and welcome backto the TLD podcast.
I'm Colby Morris and I'm hereto help you lead with clarity,
courage and compassion,especially when your first
instinct is to react instead ofrespond.
Today, we're diving deep intofive workplace scenarios that
(01:09):
happen every single day inoffices across the world.
But here's the twist we'regoing to see how a typical boss
handles each situation versushow a people-first leader
approaches the exact samechallenge.
And we're not just talkingtheory here.
I'm going to walk you throughreal conversations, actual
(01:31):
responses and the long-termimpact of each approach, because
the difference between being aboss and being a leader isn't
just about titles.
It's about how you show up whenthings get messy.
All right, let's go back toSarah.
Okay, we're going to call thisscenario one the employee who's
(01:52):
suddenly late a lot, sarah,she's had three late arrivals in
five days.
For someone who's usually early, this is a red flag.
Now the boss's response wouldlook something like this Sarah,
you've been late three timesthis week.
That's unacceptable Per companypolicy.
(02:14):
This is a formal verbal warningand if it happens again, we'll
move to written documentation.
Any questions?
Clean, simple, policy-driven,but completely ineffective.
The people first leaderresponse is going to be
(02:35):
something like this hey, sarah,can we chat for a few minutes?
Hey, I noticed you've beencoming in later than usual this
week.
That's not like you.
You're typically here before me.
Is everything okay?
Notice what just happened there.
The leader acknowledged thepattern, but started with
(02:57):
curiosity, not judgment.
They referenced Sarah's normalbehavior, showing they actually
pay attention to their people.
Here's how that conversationmight continue.
Sarah would say I know thissounds personal, but my child
care situation just fell through.
My regular babysitter moved andI'm scrambling to find someone
(03:18):
reliable.
I've been dropping my daughteroff at my mom's house, but she
lives across town and thetraffic's just been.
Sarah, thank you for telling me.
I wish you'd felt comfortablebringing this up sooner.
Let's figure out a solution.
What if we adjusted yourschedule temporarily?
Could you come in at like 9 30,maybe stay till 6 30 or
(03:43):
something like that.
Look, this isn't about loweringstandards.
It's about understanding thatlife happens and good people
need support to perform at theirbest.
John Acuff talks about thesoundtracks that are always
playing in our heads.
If you haven't read soundtrack,you really need to.
The boss's soundtrack here isshe's become unreliable.
(04:07):
It's time to crack down.
But the leader soundtrack wassomething's changed.
Let me find out what.
If you know who Jocko Willinkis, he's the author of Extreme
Ownership.
Jocko would say there are nobad teams, only bad leaders.
(04:28):
If you haven't created anenvironment where people feel
safe bringing up personalchallenges that affect their
work, you're part of the problem.
Six months later, sarah wasback to her normal schedule, but
(04:49):
she never forgot that herleader had her back when she
needed it most.
All right, let's move toscenario two, the missed
deadline.
It's Friday at 5 pm.
The Johnson report was duetoday and it's not done.
The client is expecting itMonday morning.
(05:10):
The boss's response Mike,where's the Johnson report?
It was due today.
This is completely unacceptable.
We promised the client Mondaydelivery and now we're behind.
I need you to stay late tonightto get this finished.
And the next time if you'regoing to miss a deadline, at
least give me a heads upfinished.
And the next time if you'regoing to miss a deadline, at
least give me a heads up.
The boss is frustrated, andrightfully so, but they're
(05:33):
treating the symptom, not thedisease.
The people first.
Leader response looks more likethis hey, mike, I'm looking for
the Johnson report.
Can you help me understand whathappened?
I want to make sure we get thisright for the client and figure
out how to prevent this.
Moving forward, I got stuck onthe data analysis section.
I've been working on it allweek, but I couldn't get the
(05:55):
numbers to match what wediscussed in the initial meeting
.
Okay, so you've been working onit, but you hit a roadblock.
When did you first realize thenumbers weren't matching?
Tuesday afternoon, got it, andwhat stopped you from reaching
out?
Then I thought I could figureit out, but I didn't want to
bother you.
(06:15):
Now we're getting somewhere.
See, this isn't about Mikebeing lazy or missing deadlines.
This is about Mike strugglingwith a technical challenge and
not feeling comfortable orcomfortable enough to ask for
help.
Mike, I appreciate you wantingto solve problems independently.
(06:36):
That's a strength.
But when you're stuck onsomething this critical, I need
you to reach out, not becauseyou're bothering me, but because
that's how we deliver qualitywork on time.
The leader would then sit downwith Mike, help resolve the data
issue and then deliver thereport by Monday.
But, more importantly, they'veestablished that asking for help
(07:00):
is a sign of strength, notweakness.
Jocko's principle of extremeownership applies here.
If your team fails, you failed.
The leader asks themselves didI check in enough?
Did I make it clear thatquestions were welcome?
Did I create psychologicalsafety for Mike to admit when he
(07:23):
was stuck?
All right, let's move toscenario three, the high
performer who's suddenlydisengaged.
Jessica has been your starplayer for two years.
She's the one who stays late,volunteers for extra projects
and consistently exceedsexpectations, but lately she's
(07:46):
been doing the bare minimum.
Her energy is flat.
She's not contributing inmeetings like she used.
To the boss's response Jessica,I've noticed your performance
has been slipping lately.
You're not showing the sameinitiative you used to.
Are you still committed to thisrole?
Because we need people who aregoing to give 110%.
See, the boss is concernedabout declining performance, but
(08:11):
they're approaching it like adiscipline issue, a people first
leader response is more likeJessica, I'd love to get your
perspective on something.
Over the past few weeks, I'venoticed you've seen less engaged
than usual.
You're still doing good work,but you don't seem as energized
(08:31):
as you typically are.
What's going on?
What's going on?
I don't know.
I guess I'm just feeling stuck,stuck, how Like I feel, like
I'm doing the same things overand over.
I used to learn something newevery week, but now it feels
(08:52):
like I'm just going through themotions.
That makes sense.
You've mastered your currentrole and we haven't really
talked about what's next for you, and that's on me.
See, this is where John Acuff'sconcept of changing your
soundtrack becomes crucial.
The boss's soundtrack was she'schecked out and needs to be
motivated.
The leader's soundtrack wasshe's ready for a new challenge,
(09:15):
and I haven't provided one.
The conversation continues.
What would you want to work onif you could design your ideal
next six months?
I'd love to learn more aboutthe strategic side of what we do
.
I understand the execution, butI want to understand the why
behind our decisions.
Okay, well, let's make thathappen.
(09:38):
What if we started having yousit in on the Monday strategy
meetings?
I mean, I could use help withthe Q3 planning process if
you're interested.
Six months later, jessica waspromoted to a senior role, not
because she complained, butbecause her leader recognized
that high performers need growth, not just praise.
(09:58):
All right.
Scenario four the high performerwho's burning out.
This is Tom.
Tom's reliable skilled.
He never says no.
He's become the go-to personfor urgent projects, complex
(10:18):
problems, last-minute requests.
He's literally working 55-hourweeks and hasn't taken a
vacation in what?
18 months?
The boss's response Tom, I knowyou're busy, but I need to give
you one more project.
The Morrison account is blowingup and you're the only one who
can handle it.
Look, I know it's a lot, butthis is why we pay you the big
(10:41):
bucks.
Right?
The boss sees Tom as theirsecret weapon and keeps pulling
the trigger, but the peoplefirst leader would say something
more like Tom, before I ask youto take on anything else, I
need to check in with you.
You've been carrying a heavyload lately.
How are you feeling about yourworkload right now?
(11:04):
Honestly, man, I'm exhausted.
I don't want to let the teamdown.
Tom, you're not letting anyonedown by being honest about your
capacity.
In fact, you're helping me be abetter leader by giving me real
information.
What would need to change foryou to feel more I don't know
(11:25):
sustainable in your role?
I think I need to pass on theserecurring tasks to other team
members.
I keep taking them on becauseit's faster than training
someone else, but now I'mdrowning.
That's exactly the kind ofinsight I need.
Let's look at your task listand figure out what can be
(11:47):
redistributed, and I want you totake next Friday off.
No emails, no calls.
You need a break.
Here's what the leaderunderstands, that the boss
doesn't.
Burning out your best people isa short-term gain that creates
long-term problems.
Jocko would say disciplineequals freedom.
(12:08):
The discipline of protectingyour people's capacity creates
the freedom for sustained highperformance the freedom for
sustained high performance.
And, by the way, three monthslater, tom was more productive
than ever because he was workingat a sustainable pace and the
team was stronger because othermembers had developed new skills
(12:29):
.
All right.
Scenario five the big mistake.
It's 10 am on Thursday.
You just got a call from yourbiggest client.
The proposal your teamsubmitted yesterday contains a
critical error that could costthem about $50,000.
The mistake was made by Amy,who's been with the company for
(12:52):
six months.
The boss's response Amy, I justgot off the phone with our
biggest client.
There's a major error in theproposal you submitted.
This could cost them $50,000.
How did this happen?
This is exactly the kind ofmistake we cannot afford to make
.
The boss is in damage controlmode, but they're making Amy
(13:13):
feel like the mistake definesher.
The people first leader wouldsay Amy, I need to talk to you
about the Morrison proposal.
There's an error in the costcalculation that we need to
address immediately.
But first I want you to knowthat mistakes happen.
(13:34):
We're going to fix thistogether.
Can you walk me through yourprocess?
For the cost section, I usedthe template from the Henderson
proposal, but I think I mighthave missed updating one of the
multipliers.
Okay, well, let's look at thattogether.
Show me exactly what you did.
They sit down.
(13:55):
They go through the processstep by step and identify not
just what went wrong but why itwent wrong.
The template wasn't clear andthere was no checklist for
switching between client pricingstructures.
Amy, this wasn't just yourmistake.
This was a system failure.
(14:15):
The template should have beenclearer.
We should have had a reviewprocess for proposals this size.
Here's what we're going to do.
First, we're going to fix thisimmediately.
Second, we're going to improvethe template so this doesn't
happen again.
And third, we're going toimplement a peer review process
(14:37):
for all proposals over $100,000.
John Acuff reminds us that we'realways writing soundtracks in
our heads.
The boss's soundtrack was she'scareless and caught his money.
The leader's soundtrack wasthis is a learning opportunity
(14:58):
and a chance to improve oursystems.
Six months later, amy was oneof the most detail oriented team
members and the new proposalprocess prevented three similar
errors.
Look, here's what I've learnedafter about 20 years of
leadership.
The difference between a bossand a people-first leader isn't
about being soft or being hard.
It's about being smart.
(15:20):
It's about being real.
It's about being human.
Bosses react to symptoms.
Leaders respond to the rootcauses.
Bosses focus on the immediateproblem.
Leaders focus on the long-termsolution.
Bosses manage behavior.
Leaders develop people.
(15:42):
And here's the thing that mightsurprise you People-first
leadership isn't just better foryour team, it's better for your
results.
When Sarah felt supported duringher childcare crisis, she
became more loyal and moreproductive than ever.
When Mike learned it was safeto ask for help, he stopped
(16:03):
making preventable mistakes.
When Jessica got a newchallenge, she became a leader
herself.
When Tom's workload becamesustainable, his quality
improved dramatically when Amywas coached.
Through her mistake, she becameone of the most reliable team
members.
So here's your challenge thisweek.
This week, I want you to catchyourself in the moment when
(16:26):
something goes wrong, whensomeone disappoints you, when
you feel that familiarfrustration rising.
Pause, ask yourself am I aboutto react like a boss or am I
going to respond like a leader?
Then ask the person hey, helpme understand what happened here
(16:50):
.
The person hey, help meunderstand what happened here.
And then and this is thecrucial part actually listen to
their answer.
Don't pretend to listen.
Okay, listen to understand,because here's the truth Most
workplace problems aren't peopleproblems.
(17:10):
They're communication problems,system problems or clarity
problems dressed up as peopleproblems, and you can't solve
those with policy and punishment.
You solve them with curiosity,compassion and a commitment to
get better together, commitmentto get better together.
(17:32):
Look, if you're working onbecoming a more people-first
leader, I'm here to help.
Whether it's a one-on-onecoaching, equipping your
managers with leadership tools,or speaking at your next event,
I'd love to support the workyou're doing.
You can reach out to me atnextstepadvisorscom that's N-X-T
(17:53):
, no E stepadvisorscom.
Or you can connect with me onLinkedIn.
Both of those links will be inthe show notes.
At the end of the day,leadership isn't about being
right.
It's about getting resultsthrough people.
And the best way to get resultsthrough people is to actually
(18:15):
care about the people.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader,
be sure to subscribe to thepodcast and listen to next
week's episode.
Until next time, keep workingon being a better leader by
doing the things that leaders do.
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