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If you’re a manager with 3+ years of experience and want better systems so you can level up as a leader, the last cohort of our MGMT Accelerator for 2026 starts Tuesday, October 6 at 11 AM ET.
The beauty of working with so many different leaders is pattern-matching. We get so many more data points that we can connect the dots others miss.
Recently, I’ve noticed a new pattern. The symptoms are different: team dysfunction, poor results, persistent turnover. Every team was made up of well-intentioned, hard-working people. The leader was driven and determined. But somehow, they couldn’t achieve the desired results.
We uncovered the same root cause: confusion.
And the source of that confusion was always the same: the leader.
It is easier to be a manager in sports than in business. Why? Because the game has been predetermined. The rules have been set. Our opponents are scheduled. A clear scoreboard tells you if you’re winning.
In business, we start with a blank sheet of paper. Sure, most people lead teams within a company where some of this has been decided. What industry. What product or service we offer clients.
But Airbnb and Zillow “play” the same real estate industry in very different ways. And their software development teams are even more differentiated. Which means the leaders must be clear. About the game they’re playing, how they think they can win, and how they’ll choose to keep score.
After I explain this, I usually get nods of agreement.
“Are you nodding because you agree, or are you nodding because you’ve been clear?”
“Both” is usually the answer.
“Great. Then everyone on your team should be able to answer three questions the same way. Not directionally. Not in the same ballpark. Exactly.”
What is your team’s North Star? What is all this effort building towards? The best version of this will usually be one clear sentence the team has heard so often they repeat it word for word. That clarity is shockingly helpful in guiding the hundreds of little decisions each person makes every day. Moves us toward the North Star? Make the call with confidence. Moves us away from it? Think twice.
What obstacles and opportunities stand between us and that North Star? Which ones are we prioritizing, and more importantly, which ones are we not giving our attention to? If we concentrate our effort on a small number of coordinated projects, we can move much farther faster. If everyone is left to choose their own adventure, that same effort is diffused and creates little meaningful momentum.
What number(s) tell us we’re on track to get there? “What gets measured gets managed.” Yes, people will change their behavior based on what you measure. And that’s the point. People want to win. They need to know how you’re keeping score. No one can ever meet your secret expectations, but they will certainly do their best to beat your public numbers.
In every case, we uncovered that one of the three was missing. Several leaders thought it was obvious and worried their team would see it as micromanagement if they made it explicit. They were very surprised when their team actually thanked them for finally making it clear. Other leaders thought they had been clear and tested it with their teams, only to learn that they had overestimated their shared understanding.
Managers are always looking for the cheat codes, the low-effort tactics that produce outsized results. The reality is that most cheat codes are hiding in plain sight: get back to basics.
A CEO I admire told me, “Just around the tenth time I find myself saying the same thing, when I’m absolutely sick of hearing myself talk, is often the first time people really hear me.”
Remember: Your team will never win if they don’t know what game they’re playing.
Lead on,
Dave & Mar
PS - The MGMT Accelerator starts Monday, October 6 at 11 AM ET. Twelve hours live over four weeks, with templates for everything we build in class and coaching on your single biggest management problem. You leave with clear profile and expectations for every person on your team, so you’re never telling them to "be more strategic."
More than 1,500 leaders have graduated and said it was worth 25x what they paid.
Ways To Work With Us
MGMT Accelerator: A live cohort-based leadership development program.
MGMT Fundamentals: A two-week training program for new managers.
Custom Programs: Workshops built and delivered for your company.
1:1 Executive Coaching: C-suite leaders looking to scale.
Keynote speaking: Leadership lessons for your event or offsite.\
Learn about them all at: davekline.com
