Hi Reader, You know I love to share great resources when I find them — and Jim Brenner has one that is worth a few minutes of your time. If you've been around here for any length of time, you know my position: most people problems aren't about people. They're about missing structure. It's why we always diagnose before we prescribe, and why the CALG Blueprint starts with clarity instead of assuming your people just need to try harder. Jim takes that same structural approach, but he applies it...
18 days ago • 1 min read
Most communication problems on your team aren't personality clashes. They're style mismatches. And the moment your team sees that, everything shifts. If you've ever walked out of a meeting wondering how everyone heard something different, you're not alone. Most teams have this problem and don't know it has a name. The meeting that ended with everyone confused. The feedback that landed wrong. The teammate who seems difficult, until you realize they just communicate completely differently than...
20 days ago • 1 min read
Authentic Voice Leadership Podcast Hi Reader, What separates leaders who simply manage people from those who inspire true ownership? I recently joined Dr. Leslie Davis on the Authentic Voice Leadership podcast to explore one of my favorite leadership topics—how emotional intelligence becomes the foundation for building teams that think, act, and lead with ownership. In our conversation, we discuss: ✔️ Why asking better questions creates better leaders ✔️ The difference between vulnerability...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Most supervisors get promoted because they're good at the job. Then someone hands them a team and says good luck. No training on how to delegate. Nobody explains how to give feedback without it blowing up. No one tells them how to hold people accountable without it getting weird. So they figure it out the hard way. And their team lives through every mistake while they do. I saw this up close just this past week. A senior leader reached out after an honest internal conversation. She opened...
27 days ago • 1 min read
Can I tell you something I hear almost every week? A leader tells me their team has been asking for development. And in the same breath, they say they haven't been able to make it happen,budget, schedules, the "where do we even start" conversation. I say this with love: that cycle will keep going until you decide to break it. Summer is when development gets pushed to fall. Don't let that happen again. This July I've pulled together development resources your team can start right now — short,...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The CALG Leadership Brief: June 30, 2026 Hi Reader, I hear a version of this question often. "I want to do the Sprint. But I'm not sure I'm ready." Or: "I think I need to figure out the problem better first." Or: "Things are a little calmer right now. Maybe I should wait until it gets bad again." I want to sit with that for a second, because readiness is worth talking about honestly. Ready is not a feeling. It's a decision. And honestly, I think a lot of leaders stay stuck because they keep...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
CALG Sprint — What 30 Days Builds: June 25, 2026 Hi Reader, Here's what usually changes after 30 days in the CALG Sprint: Leaders stop carrying hard conversations around with them all day. Most leaders already know what they should do. That's usually not the issue. The hard part is staying steady once a conversation suddenly gets uncomfortable. So they replay meetings afterward. They walk into certain conversations already tense. And after a while, leadership just starts feeling heavier than...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
The CALG Leadership Brief: June 23, 2026 Hi Reader, A few people asked me this week: "What actually happens inside the Sprint?" Fair question. So let me walk you through it. Because I think the way most programs work — you buy it, you get access, you're on your own — is exactly the problem the Sprint is designed to fix. So the structure matters. Here's what happens inside the CALG Sprint. It starts with intake. Before you get a plan, I need to understand your actual situation. What's the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Can I tell you where most leadership growth breaks down? Hi Reader, Can I tell you something I see leaders struggle with all the time? Most leaders who are stuck already know what they should be doing. They've read the books. They've listened to the podcasts. They've sat through the trainings. But when real pressure hits, things change. A hard conversation. A difficult season. Something they've been avoiding. Suddenly, that knowledge becomes a lot harder to apply consistently. This month...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read