
Locker Room Chats
A weekly video series filled with tips, ideas, & resources
If You Hate Meetings, Read This
Tired of meetings that go nowhere? This 3-step system helps you run meetings with purpose, clarity, and actual follow-through — no fluff, no wasted time.
Why “Tough Love” Doesn’t Work Like You Think It Does
Great leaders know how to challenge without creating fear. This post breaks down how to lead high standards without tough-guy tactics.
If You Care About Your Team, Manage Their Performance
Avoiding feedback might feel kind, but it creates confusion and resentment. Learn how managing performance is one of the most caring things you can do as a leader.
Why Your Team’s Struggling (and the Simple Fix You’re Probably Overlooking)
If your team’s not delivering, it might not be a motivation issue — it might be a clarity issue. Learn the 3-question habit that will instantly make you a clearer, more effective leader.
If you’ve ever led a team and thought:
“I figured it out on my own… why can’t they?”
you’re not alone.
I hear this constantly from founders and entrepreneurs who bootstrapped their way to success. But leading others? That’s a different game.
The #1 performance driver isn’t hustle, talent, or motivation — it’s clarity. And just because you had it doesn’t mean your team does.
Here’s the one habit you can implement today to lead with more clarity and help your team perform stronger — no micromanaging required.
Why Most Leadership Programs Don’t Stick (and How to Fix It)
Ever leave a leadership workshop feeling inspired… only to apply nothing? It’s not a motivation issue — it’s cognitive load. Learn why most programs fall short and how Lead to Win is designed to help leaders actually implement what they learn and lead better.
Why more tools won’t fix your leadership problems
There are two kinds of leadership challenges: skillset-based and mindset-based.
If you've ever read a book, downloaded a template, or attended a training - and still felt stuck - this video is for you. In this #lockerroomchat I break down the real reason some leadership challenges linger… and why better tools won’t help until you address your mindset first.
“What the heck is she doing?” How to avoid THAT reaction and speed up your growth as a leader
Ever tried a new leadership skill - like being more assertive or changing how you run meetings—and felt like people were side-eyeing you?
“What the heck is she doing…?”
This week’s video is about how to avoid that awkwardness and instead get support, feedback, and faster growth - just by saying one simple thing out loud.
Ask these 3 questions to be a better strategic partner
Tired of being treated like a glorified "order taker?" Start acting like the strategic partner you want to be by asking these 3 questions…
Consultants, HR peeps, communications & marketing, IT… the list goes on. There are a lot of us out there whose job it is to guide and help other people (and organizations) get things done.
Next time someone comes to you, increase your impact as a true strategic partner and start doing more fun work by asking these 3 questions:
1. "Tell me more about (that thing)"
2. "Where is this request coming from?"
3. "What are your intended outcomes?"
Your customers/clients are likely grabbing for one of few tools they know... it's your job to understand their need enough to provide the tool that actually solves their problem :)
Practice (not theory) makes *high performance*
When was the last time to wanted to get better at something? What did you use or do to improve?
While it might have been a combo of things, I can tell you it won't improve without some real-world application, trial & error, feedback, and good ol' hard work to improve.
Book learning and theories only go so far on this one... (check out this week's #lockerroomchat for an overdue sports analogy to make this point😉)
***spoiler alert*** stay to the end of the video for a teaser on something big coming later this week! :)
Develop high performers AND get out of the weeds with this *one tip*
Last week, I talked about the difference between micromanaging and closely managing someone's performance, stemming from a common frustration I hear from leaders - "I have to micromanage because they're new or not performing well!"
But the reality is that you shouldn't be micromanaging, you should be managing their performance more closely.
The next question is this… How do you get to the point where you can trust someone to take over a task and deliver at a high level?
I learned this the hard way early in my leadership career - and it's a mistake I still see leaders make all the time. I had someone on my team who should have been able to complete a task - but it was clear they didn’t know how. My mistake? Assuming they’d figure it out on their own, instead of helping them develop the skill (and then getting frustrated when they didn't figure it out…).
Check out this week's video for what I should have done - and what you can do instead!
"Are there times when it makes sense to micromanage?" 👀
"Are there times when it makes sense to micromanage?" 👀
That's a no for me, dawg... 🙈 BUT it's a question I get a lot from leaders. Well, it's actually more of a comment -"sometimes you HAVE to micromanage!!"
And while I respectfully disagree, I can understand where the comment is coming from.
Check out this week's #lockerroomchat for a more productive approach.
Culture fit isn’t everything - here's what REALLY matters
Want a high-performing team? Here's how to get it right from the start!
hint it goes beyond hiring for a great culture fit...
The best teams don’t just have the right people... they have the right people, in the right roles, at the right time
Here’s how to make the magic happen:
🍩 Hire for today AND tomorrow – What does your team need right now? What will they need six months from now? Plan for both.
🍩 Balance experience levels wisely – A seasoned team might be the perfect place for a high-potential rookie. But a newer team? They might need a subject-matter expert to level-up the team.
🍩 Think beyond just culture fit – Culture is important, but a cultural fit isn't everything. Someone can be a great cultural "fit", but be completely wrong for that job.
Do you need leadership development or do you need culture change?
Do you need leadership development or do you need culture change? 🤨
A lot of leadership development requests I get are actually not requests for a development program or a training, although they masquerade as this. They're requests for a fundamental change in how leaders in their organization behave.
And that, my friends, does not come from training (at least not from training alone 🙂 )
Check out this week's chat for tips on how to actually develop you leaders and shift the leadership culture in your organization.
Don't have quarterly goals? You're missing the mark!
If you aren't breaking your annual goals into quarterly goals, you are seriously missing the mark.
OKRs, milestones, targets, rocks... whatever you want to call them, they're crucial for making progress and achieving literally anything in your business.
Check out this week's locker room chat for the #hottake on how to get your team all headed in the same direction and achieving all the things.
Every team member is a starter—invest like It
Stop throwing money away by ignoring your struggling employees!
Put your college athletics hat on with me for a second… It doesn't make sense to pay an athlete a full-ride scholarship just to ignore them and let them sit on the bench for 4 years… right? So why do we do that in our businesses?
At least in sports you can say they aren't ready for the game just yet, so that's why they're riding the bench. But in the workplace there is no bench. Everyone is a starter. Time to start acting like it :)
Conflict management training is a waste of money (& here's why)
Conflict management training is a waste of money
Yup, I said it! Waste of time AND money.
Conflict management and conflict resolution ARE very important and a legitimate area of expertise, but a quick-hit training just isn't going to do it. Why not? I address it in this week's locker room chat :)