The Holistic Leader

Celebrating Failure - Wait, What? Is this a joke? I messed up. I need help. I don’t know how to fix this. No blame. No shame. Just learning. In some teams, we even made it part of the work. We put up a Failure Wall where people could post what went wrong. We used something called a Celebration Grid to talk about what worked and what didn’t. These weren’t fancy tools. They just helped people to: listen speak up and try again. Every team makes mistakes. But, what matters is what we do after. Have you ever tried something like this with your team?

I Did It Anyway! If you live in downtown Toronto, you might recognize this busy spot. I was heading home after a very tough leg workout at the gym. It’s one of those busy everyday intersections tourists exploring,? commuters rushing, people heading in every direction. I was on my way home after a brutal leg session at the gym. (Anyone who’s ever done a real leg day knows exactly what I mean by brutal.) My legs felt like jelly, and all I wanted was the path of least resistance. The escalator was right there, practically calling my name. But you know what? I took the stairs. It may not seem like a big deal, but this moment reminded me of what it takes to lead. Leadership often means taking the tougher path—especially when everyone else seems to be going the easy way. — Even when we’d rather take the easy way out. The next time you face a choice between what’s easy and what’s tough, remember this story of choosing the stairs. Sometimes, doing the harder thing is exactly what helps us grow stronger, become better leaders, and show others what’s possible.

Leaders Saying "YES" to everything it's hurting your team. I was there and it's really hard. Here’s why learning to say "NO" is so important. ? Do: ?? Set clear boundaries. Saying “YES” to everything may seem like good leadership, but it leads to burnout. Protect your time and focus on what truly drives value for your team. ?? Prioritize wisely. Not every request is urgent. Be selective and align priorities with your team’s goals and capacity. ?? Communicate openly. Be transparent with stakeholders and team members about why you can’t take on everything. Honesty fosters trust. ?? Focus on the bigger picture. Learn to say "NO" in order to say "YES" ? Don’t: ?? Don’t overcommit. Saying "YES" to too many things spreads your attention thin and lowers your ability to support the team effectively. ?? Don’t ignore team capacity. Overloading your team with too many tasks can result in missed deadlines and lower morale. ?? Don’t neglect your own well-being. (Mental health included) If you’re constantly saying "YES" to everything, you’re at risk of burnout. Take care of yourself to better take care of your team. As leaders, our job is not to please everyone, but to guide our teams with focus and clarity. Saying “NO” when needed allows you to lead effectively and helps your team thrive. → Focus on what truly drives progress, not just activity.

Teams that work together win together. Lesson learned:? When teams don’t share the same goal, everyone loses, especially the customer. — Marketing makes promises.? — Product builds the features.? — Support cleans up the mess. That’s what happens when teams work in silos. → Nobody shares the same goal. When everyone shares the same mission, the customer benefits, and so does the team. P.S What’s the one thing you’ve done to align your teams and break down silos? Don't miss out my latest article: What is understood by "VALUE" in agility ?? Read here: bit.ly/4igSdKf

4 months ago: → Reached 9 US states and 20 countries. Today: → Now read in 13 US states and 25 countries. The Holistic Leader Newsletter keeps growing! Join for insights on: → ?????????? → ???????????????????? → ???????????????????? → ???????? ???????????????? → ???????????????? ???????????????????? My latest article "What is Understood by "VALUE" in Agility? ?? Read here: bit.ly/4igSdKf

Put your customer first! Agile is about value, not just processes. But too often. Teams get caught up in KPIs, OKRs, and sprint deadlines. Forgetting the most important question: ? "Will this make our customer’s life easier?" I’ve sat in too many meetings where decisions were made based on internal metrics. No one asked if it solved a real problem for the customer. But, let's do more: More Stories More Features More Complexity More Time Spent in Development Build more, deliver more, but is it really what the customer wants? if your decisions don’t focus on the customer’s needs, you’re building a product that no one wants. That's WHY, I always like to refer to the customer as the "KING". They should always be at the center of every decision you make. My two cents: ? View feedback through the lens of value. P.S Is your product solving a core issue? If yes, you’re on the right track. Don't miss out my latest article: What is understood by "VALUE" in agility ?? Read here: bit.ly/4igSdKf

Your product isn’t the end goal Customers don’t buy products. They buy solutions. If your product doesn’t address a core pain point, even the most innovative features become noise. Ask yourself: What job is the customer hiring this product to do?”? (Hint: It’s rarely about the tech.) Does this feature align with their real priorities → or just ours? Are we measuring success in deliverables → or in outcomes? if your product vanished tomorrow, would customers care? If not, you’re building features → not value. Don't miss out my latest article: What is understood by "VALUE" in agility ?? Read here: bit.ly/4igSdKf

Your team is lying to you – and that’s on you. Not because they’re bad. Because they don’t feel safe being honest. ─── What you hear: ??? “We’ll try our best!” What they’re really saying:? ?? “This deadline is impossible.” ─── What you hear: ??? “Yes, we can do that!” What they’re really saying: ?? “This feature doesn’t make sense.” ─── What you hear: ??? “Everything is on track!” What they’re really saying: ?? “We're not going to make it” ─── If you wait until you “notice” the problem: ? Trust will break ? Projects will fail ? Teams will burn out ─── How to fix it: 1?? When someone shares bad news, say “Thank you” (even if it’s hard to hear) 2?? Ask “What’s making this hard?” instead of “Why isn’t this done?” 3?? Stand up for the first person brave enough to speak – they’re helping you Quiet teams aren’t “happy.” They feel unsafe.

"Set clear expectations" isn't enough. → Align expectations. A leader may expect one thing, while the team is focused on something else. The result? Frustration wasted effort and slow progress. A good alignment process should: — Ensure everyone understands the goal — Clarify priorities and trade-offs — Make decision-making smoother — Reduce unnecessary rework (That's it) Leadership isn’t just about setting the direction. It’s about making sure everyone is rowing in the same direction. How do you align expectations with your team?? Drop your thoughts below. ?? #leadership

Let me ask you a question! Have you ever led a meeting where your team stayed silent? Specially if you are the MANAGER You ask for ideas. You ask for feedback. You ask if anyone has questions. Nothing.. Just SILENCE. But later, you hear that outside of the meeting, the team is full of ideas, laughing, and talking openly.They’re sharing ideas BUT.. Just not when you’re there. This happened to me.? → A lot. Once, a teammate said: “After the meeting, everyone talked openly… but only when you weren’t there.” Ouch. But then I realized: It’s not about me. People stay quiet because they’re unsure if it’s safe to speak up. Not because they don’t care. Here’s the good news: (You can change this) How? By making your team FEEL SAFE to share ideas with YOU, not just without you. I’ll share 3 ways to create psychological safety Don't miss out this coming post on "The Holistic Leader Newsletter" ?? Link in comments