Is the Playground Still Running Your Meetings?

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome to Leadership Unscripted. Each edition, we share 1 Case Study, 1 Framework, 1 Question. These are real moments and practical strategies for rethinking your approach to leadership.

Let’s dive in.

Sean was a Director of Ops at a fast-moving consumer brand known for its pace—and its tension.

His performance was solid. He was strategic, quick to act, and well-liked. But behind the scenes, something wasn’t working.

His team kept avoiding conflict. Meetings were surface-level. Real issues weren’t getting addressed. And whenever tension rose, Sean would smooth things over or steer the conversation to “what’s working.”

Eventually, feedback surfaced during a team alignment session:

“We never deal with what’s really happening. It feels like we’re pretending everything’s fine.”

In coaching, Sean admitted something he’d never said out loud:

“Growing up, conflict meant danger. I learned to keep the peace.”

The insight hit hard.
He realized that even now—decades later—he was still using childhood survival skills in high-stakes leadership moments.

The impulse to avoid conflict wasn’t about the team. It was about his past.

But he also saw the opportunity: patterns can be interrupted.

He worked with his coach to spot his default behaviors and build new responses:

• Asking a follow-up question instead of changing the subject.
  

• Naming the tension instead of neutralizing it.
  

• Holding space for disagreement instead of trying to fix it.
  

It wasn’t perfect. But it was different.

And that difference created space—for honesty, accountability, and real progress.

Because the tools that kept you safe back then may be keeping your team stuck now.

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1 Framework

Triggers to Trust Tool

You don’t outgrow patterns by ignoring them. You outgrow them by replacing them with better choices.

Use this tool to build awareness and shift your response:

Identify – What old pattern shows up in conflict or tension?

Interrupt – What new action could you take in that moment?

Integrate – How will you show up differently next time?

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1 Question

Old behaviors are hard to shake.
👉 What learned behavior might still be running your team interactions?

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Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

We all have leadership defaults shaped by what kept us safe—or in control—in the past.
What pattern have you had to unlearn? What did it take to rewrite that script?
Reply and share. You’re not alone.

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Real Stories. Real Tools. Real Impact.

Forget the fluff. We’re that company, revealing behind-the-scenes leadership wins and strategies that actually work.

Because all it takes is one bold move to shatter barriers, inspire your team, and make your mark.