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Self Awareness
Noticing what's happening inside you — before it starts affecting the work.
Self Awareness Summary
Responding vs Reacting
A practical decision-making sequence for high-pressure moments.
Responding vs Reacting Summary
Influence
How leaders build crews that are self-directed — not dependent.
Influence Summary
Communication
The communication habits that make people more willing to speak up, stay engaged, and follow through.
Communication Summary
Leadership Field Guide
Your own leadership system — designed by you, for the crew you actually run.
Field Guide — Container Building
At the start of the season, I hold a straightforward crew conversation and ask what people need from me and from each other to have a good season, instead of just reading out expectations. We set a few simple agreements around communication: speak up if something’s off, don’t let small stuff fester, and look out for each other on site. I check in with new hires in their first week to make sure they understand what we’re about before habits set in. If we drift from our agreements, I’ll name it briefly in a morning meeting and reset us without making it a big production.
Field Guide — Instructions and Plans
When I give instructions, I explain the why behind the plan so the crew has the context to problem-solve when things change. I do a quick read-back at the end of tailgate—ask someone to replay what we’re doing and why—to confirm we’re aligned. Before we start, I ask if anyone sees a problem with the approach, and I make it normal to call that out. If something doesn’t look right out there, my expectation is they stop and call it in—don’t wait for me to notice.
Field Guide — Running Meetings
I keep meetings short and start with the objective—what we’re trying to accomplish and why it matters. I do less of the talking and ask specific questions like “what’s one thing that could go wrong?” to get real input. We end with clear first steps; if someone can’t tell me their first move, we’re not done.
Field Guide — Preventing Issues
I slow down the morning tailgate so I’m not signaling that speed matters more than concerns. Before we close the hazard assessment, I ask—genuinely—if anyone wants to add anything, and I wait for answers. I build a quick, low-pressure end-of-day check-in to surface anything we should know about tomorrow so small issues don’t carry over.
Field Guide — Dispute Resolution
I deal with conflict fast and in private—pull people aside, hear both out, and keep it short. I name the issue without making it personal: here’s what I’m seeing, here’s how it’s affecting the work, what do we do about it. I shut down blame and finger-pointing—“we’re not doing that”—and redirect to figuring out what happened and fixing it. I know we’re done when the tension is gone and people are working normally again; if it still feels heavy, we’re not finished.
Field Guide — Upset Conditions
When conditions get rough, I call it out plainly—“this is a rough day, I know it”—so people know I see what they see. I look for a small, meaningful adjustment to reset momentum: take a proper break, shift to a different block, or tweak the plan. I watch the crew’s energy; if the chatter stays quiet, something’s still wrong, and when the talking and rhythm return, we’re through it.
Field Guide — Skill Development
This season I’ll experiment with better meeting questions and pay attention to whether they draw out real input. I’ll try a proper start-of-season conversation to see if inviting the crew’s input on what they need changes how we operate in the first weeks. I’ll also practice explaining my reasoning—not just my decisions—especially for newer crew who don’t have the context yet, and I’ll start next week.
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