At Nash Consulting, after partnering with nearly a hundred organizations on leadership development, we’ve seen a clear pattern: What separates engagements that create lasting change from those that don’t is what the organization does before, and especially after, the training.

This article is designed to help managers create that common language. By understanding the full range of decision-making approaches, leaders can intentionally strike the right balance between exercising their authority and inviting meaningful involvement from their teams.

A common mistake new leaders make is believing their job in the first 90 days is to drive change. In reality, their first responsibility is to build the understanding, relationships, and credibility that make good change possible.

One thing I've observed is that the best organizational problem solvers are excellent at considering 2nd- and 3rd-order consequences (a fancy term for looking beyond the immediate outcome of a decision or action).

A couple decades ago, the primary issue was simply that many organizations weren’t providing management training at all. People got promoted into leadership with a “Welcome to management, good luck” approach.

I’m talking about a short, clear document that captures the personal mission, values, principles, practices, and skills we choose to lead by. Something we can come back to when we’re in the weeds and need to reset and refocus.

"Being listened to feels so much like being loved that people can scarcely tell the difference." ~ David Taylor-Klaus

I believe we shouldn’t be afraid to bring love into our leadership at work.

Especially when we are in positions of power, showing up with love matters a ton.

How many of you have heard: “As a manager, you DEFINITELY need to receive feedback non-defensively.”

Good advice, for all the obvious reasons.

People-leaders (AKA those with a power differential) have an outsized impact on engagement, morale, and whether ideas and feedback flow freely.

The practice of non-attachment in leadership is the practice of recognizing, again and again, that this simply is not true. We don’t need to prove, defend, or force.

If you don’t have a consistent framework, your response will depend on your mood, your stress level, your personal biases…or whether you’ve eaten lunch yet.

“The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”– George Bernard Shaw

Your employees are usually fine with how decisions get made as long as they know what style you are using. Are they deciding or are they influencing?

It’s time we start getting more precise about how we talk about and foster “psychological safety” on teams. Because our efforts can backfire if we don’t.

While I was watching the Seattle Seahawks (whom I love dearly), a simple football analogy came to mind that makes this distinction clear.

In this article, we’ll introduce two surprisingly simple, powerful tools we’ve seen consistently drive accountability and results. The best part? They take less than 30 minutes to implement as a team-wide standard practice.