What elite athletes can teach us about the leadership gap hiding in plain sight The Hook I've spent 38 years leading and coaching in nonprofit organizations, and I've seen the same pattern repeat itself in two very different scenarios. Version 1: Your best program manager gets promoted to Program Director. They were exceptional—passionate about the mission, meticulous, consistently delivering results. Six months in, they're overwhelmed, their team is frustrated, and you're wondering what...

Think back to a sandbox. Maybe it was at a neighborhood park, a school playground, or your own backyard. If you were lucky, you had good company — kids who brought their own ideas, shared their shovels, and helped build something bigger than any one of you could have made alone. And if you weren't so lucky, you remember the other kind too. The kid who sat in the corner guarding the bucket. The one who knocked over what you built. The one who just wouldn't let anyone else in. We grow up. The...

There are moments in a career that stay with you. Not because they were dramatic or public, but because you remember exactly what you almost said — and didn't. Growing up, I was a shy introvert. Speaking up always felt like I was climbing a mountain gasping for air. I was never quite sure I had anything of value to add. The fear of embarrassing myself was louder than anything I thought to say. So I said nothing. That pattern followed me longer than I'd like to admit. We had just gone through...