Most executive teams I work with begin by claiming to value learning because they invest in offsites, they engage in diagnostics, they attend leadership programs, they debrief major projects.

In my work with executive leadership teams, a consistent pattern emerges. Meetings appear productive. Decisions are “agreed.”

An analysis of a decade of data I’ve collected coaching executive teams, reveals that when teams choose safety over truth, they flounder. The ‘courage gap’ widens.

Most failure of execution in teams, isn’t about strategy, talent, or effort. It’s about misalignment; of understanding, expectations, and commitments.

My best wishes to you for 2026. I hope the year has begun well and brings you everything you would wish for.

As this year draws to a close, I’ve been thinking about the leaders and leadership teams I’ve had the privilege to work with and learn from this year.

Have you ever noticed that some things we learn early in our careers, shape us for life?

During a recent executive coaching conversation, the executive requested we work on how to help him stop procrastinating.

The fifth most impactful shift teams made was they learnt to learn.

The fourth most impactful shift teams made was to align to achieve. Teams flounder because they plagued by misalignment.

The third most impactful shift teams made was to develop a learning culture – they teamed to learn.

The second most empowering shift teams that transitioned from floundering to flourishing, was to make the team a safer place to speak more of their truth.