So far we’ve named the problem: training fades, and it fades on a schedule. Now the obvious question, what do you actually do about it? The answer is reinforcement. But let’s clear up the most common misread first: reinforcement is not “one more workshop” bolted on later. It isn’t a refresher session or extra training. It’s a structured system that turns new skills into default habits. Here’s what it actually involves: 1 Spaced practice + small visible commitments — the skill gets used in...

September Newsletter — Week 2 — Justice Leadership Last week we named the quiet way training fades. This week, let’s put a clock on it. New behaviors tend to collapse within about three weeks of a training unless something deliberate is built to hold them in place. I call it the three-week cliff, and the important part is this: it’s predictable. Which means it’s preventable. Here’s why the cliff shows up almost on schedule: 1 Old routines reassert themselves the previous way of working never...

Most leadership training produces a real burst of energy, and then it quietly fades. The reason it’s so easy to miss is that nothing dramatic goes wrong. There’s no blow-up, no failed project, no complaint. Just a slow drift back to how things were, until the old habits are fully back and no one can point to the moment it happened. Here’s what’s actually happening after the room empties: 1 Excitement isn’t behavior change — a good workshop reliably creates insight and energy. But knowing what...