Be the lighthouse, not the light*

As a leader, your job isn’t to stand in the spotlight—it’s to aim it. When your team wins, make sure everyone knows why and who made it happen. Give credit loud, early, and often. Amplify them. Promote them. Reward them. Be the one cheering the loudest in the back of the room. You’re the lighthouse, not the light.

And when things don’t go as planned? That’s yours to own. Step up, take the hit, and turn it into a learning moment. Then sit down together, unpack what happened, and figure out how to make it better next time. Keep showing up as their advocate, their coach, their publicist. Because the best teams don’t just rise to the occasion—they rise because you show them you believe in them. Yeah, this stuff has Ted Lasso vibes. Sue me. ;)

*When I was describing this to Jen Travis (a friend and colleague from Slalom) she described it as “be the lighthouse, not the light”. And I just loved that.