That’s one of the original Carl’s Rules. There’s a temptation in management to set the bar and expect people to reach it. That’s not leading. That’s posting a sign. And I know the pushback. “I shouldn’t have to hold someone’s hand.” “They’re adults.” “I set clear expectations.” Fine. But clear expectations without understanding where someone…
Three months. Real results to measure. Most leaders don’t have a bell that rings at quarter-end. No forced accounting. No mandatory review. The calendar just turns. That’s exactly why leaders who stop and measure win. Not what’s on the roadmap. Not what the team accomplished two years ago. What actually got done in the last…
The room falls quiet. Heads nod. No questions. No resistance. Meeting ends. Leaders often read that moment as success. Sometimes it isn’t. People agree in the meeting and disagree in the hallway. They nod in the room and don’t execute when they leave it. What happens after the leader walks out is what matters. The…
Carl’s Rules have represented part of how I lead teams for over 15 years. Some of you have seen versions of them. They’ve evolved, but the core hasn’t changed. One of them is about respect. Respect isn’t about tone or intent. It shows up in whether you returned the call. Closed the loop. Communicated clearly…
I used to have a manager who loved the metaphor of “spinning plates” when he was providing coaching feedback to me. It was one of those lessons that stuck with me—not because it was about doing more, but because it was about balance. Keep all the plates spinning. Not too fast, not too slow. Know…
You wear different clothes to different places. Jeans at the weekend goat auction. Business casual on Monday. A suit for the board meeting. We accept this without question. It isn’t fake—it’s contextually appropriate. But most leaders do more than change clothes. They change themselves. They suit up mentally. The tone shifts. The humor gets filtered….