Your team is watching.
Here’s something most leaders underestimate during change: Your team is always watching. And, they believe what you do more than what you say.
It doesn’t matter how inspiring your last huddle was on Zoom.
It doesn’t matter how fancy your latest change management presentation looks.
It doesn’t matter how often you say, “We’ve got this.”
What matters is how you act when things get messy.
When the numbers miss.
When a latest hire bails.
When the product breaks.
When the feedback stings.
When you’re exhausted and no longer sure what happens next.
Because those moments are the real leadership moments.
Culture is not what you say, it’s what you model, tolerate, and repeat.
Your team is learning how to respond to pressure by watching how you hold it.
So the question becomes:
What are they learning from you right now?
What are you teaching, through tone, presence, pace?
You may not realize it, but you’re always modeling something:
Do you listen when things get tense, or defend?
Do you lead from calm, or get reactive?
Do you name what’s true, or skirt around it?
Do you take ownership, or blame the market, the board, the customer?
They’re watching.
Not to judge, but to calibrate.
Because when the leader in the room sets the emotional tone, the team adapts to it.
Always.
You don’t have to be perfect.
You do have to be honest.
This doesn’t mean faking confidence.
It means embodying conviction.
It means showing your team how to stay grounded, not rigid.
How to hold doubt and courage in both hands.
How to tell the truth without spiraling.
How to stay hopeful without sugarcoating.
In short: how to lead like a human who’s carrying a helluva lot, but still anchored in purpose.
If you can do that, you’ll build something rare, an organization with emotional integrity.
Ask yourself this week:
Where might your words and behavior be out of sync?
What is your presence teaching your team right now?
What kind of energy are you passing onto your team?
This isn’t about performing.
It’s about alignment.
Because the more congruent you are, the more trust you build. And, in a season of change, trust is everything.
Try this:
This week, pick one meeting, one moment, or one conversation where you typically push, perform, or posture.
Then show up differently.
Slow down.
Name the real issue.
Ask a better question.
Say “I don’t know” if that’s the truth.
Take a breath instead of taking control.
Give your team something to trust.
Not just a plan. Not just a vision. Your presence.
That’s what stabilizes people.
That’s what creates clarity in the fog.
This week’s reflection:
What story is your behavior telling your team right now?
Are you modeling the kind of leadership you want repeated? Or, are you unintentionally reinforcing a culture you’ll regret?
Your team is watching.
Not because they expect you to have all the answers.
But, because they’re looking for something real to follow.
Give them that.
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Steve Knox | Carmel
\\\ Thanks as always for reading. Just a few weeks to go in this little series on Change. I hope you’re feeling seen, challenged, and encouraged. Keep going. Until next week. Much love. Be honest. Be you.