Show Notes
Before July, most teams review performance, budgets and strategy. But very few review how they are actually working together. Before July, your team will probably review its performance, financials, strategy and priorities. But there is one conversation most teams never schedule. The honest conversation about how the team is actually working together. In this practical episode of Teams That Swear, Adrian Baillargeon shares four questions every leadership team should ask mid-year to surface what is working, where energy is leaking and what needs to be said before the next quarter begins. Because rarely do teams fail because of strategy alone. More often, they get stuck because of unclear expectations, weak alignment, avoided conversations or relationship tension that nobody has properly named. This episode is designed for senior leaders who want a simple, useful way to reset their team before small frustrations become bigger performance issues. You’ll hear: Why mid-year is the perfect time to review team dynamics, not just business results The four questions Adrian uses to help teams have more honest conversations How to make the conversation safe enough for people to be genuinely useful, not diplomatically careful Why the leader’s response to the first hard thing said can shape the whole room How a Team Pulse Check can help your team have the conversation properly If you want a team that swears by each other, not about each other, this is one of the conversations worth putting in the calendar.To discuss a Team Pulse Check or the AB Team Dynamics Assessment, email Adrian at [email protected]. And if this episode gave you language you can use with your team, follow Teams That Swear wherever you get your podcasts. It helps more leaders build teams that swear by each other, not about each other.
More from Teams That Swear
Walkinshaw TWG Racing CEO Bruce Stewart on the 80 percent rule, honest input and owning mistakes before they cost the team. In this episode of Teams That Swear, Adrian Baillargeonsits down with Bruce Stewart, CEO of Walkinshaw TWG Racing, to talk about leading in one of Australia’s most technical, public and high-pressure sporting environments. Bruce is a commercial leader inside an engineering-led business. He is honest about not being the technical expert in the room, and why that has made him a better leader. His job is not to know more than the experts. It is to ask better questions, build trust, and make it easier for people to tell him the truth. Bruce also shares the personal story behind the way he leads, including losing his mum when he was eight and learning early what it means for people to pull together when things get hard. The centrepiece of the episode is Bruce’s 80 percent rule: if you have five decisions to make, make the five decisions. Waiting for perfect information can make teams slow, cautious and mediocre. You will also hear the story of Chaz Mostert owning a mistake after a race, popping the bubble for the team, and helping create a better process because people felt safe enough to speak honestly. In this episode: Why imposter syndrome can help leaders ask better questions How Supercars teams make calls before everything is certain Why leaders need honest input from people who know more thanthey do What top Australian racing driver and Repco Supercars Champion, Chaz Mostert, owning a mistake can teach leaders about making mistakes discussable How teams that swear by each other, not about each other, learn out loud.
If too many decisions end up coming back to you, the problem may not be your team. It may be how you lead them. Senior leaders often become the person everyone turns to because they are experienced, capable and quick to solve problems. But over time, that helpfulness can create dependency, slow decision-making and leave you carrying far more than you should. In this episode, Adrian explores how good leaders can accidentally become the bottleneck in their own team, why capable people start waiting for permission, and what leaders can do differently to build more ownership and better judgement around them. You’ll learn how to catch yourself before stepping in, ask questions that build thinking rather than dependency, and let your leaders own decisions without lowering standards. Teams that swear by each other, not about each other, do not rely on one leader to carry every difficult decision. They build the trust, clarity and judgement for people to step up and own what sits with them.
Kelsey Griffin has a view on accountability, captaincy and team building that most leaders will not see coming. You will hear it within the first two minutes. After seventeen seasons as a professional basketball player, multiple WNBL championships, gold medals, an Australian Opals career, and being drafted third overall in the WNBA draft, Kelsey has seen what leadership really asks of people when the pressure is on. In Part 2, we talk about the phrase many leaders use: “I want the team to hold each other accountable.” Kelsey’s response is direct. If the leader still controls the opportunities, rewards and consequences, then accountability cannot simply be handed to the team. We also get into what captaincy actually costs, how Kelsey thinks about winning after a career full of results, and why success means more than what shows up on the scoreboard. Kelsey also shares what happened on a flight to Perth with a young teammate she could not quite reach, and what leaders can learn from the moments when their usual approach stops working. If you lead strong personalities, have inherited a team, or have someone you cannot quite get through to, this episode will give you a sharper way to think about accountability, leadership and what your team really needs from you.
Kelsey Griffin has been on championship teams and teams that had the talent but still fell short. She knows the difference, and you will hear it in the first few minutes. After seventeen seasons as a professional basketball player, multiple WNBL championships, gold medals, an Australian Opals career, and being drafted third overall in the WNBA draft, Kelsey has seen what changes when a team gets it right. In Part 1, we talk about how leaders can tell whether their team is actually strong, or just looks strong on paper. Kelsey shares what the best teams do early, how leaders can build belonging before the pressure arrives, and why defensiveness can be a useful signal about what is happening beneath the surface. She also shares the story of an airport pickup at Bendigo Spirit that changed how she walked into a new team, and what it taught her about belonging long before the big moments arrive. If you are stepping into a team, leading an experienced group, or wondering whether your team is really as strong as it looks, this episode will give you a sharper way to read what is going on. And right near the end, Kelsey goes on record about something she has never said publicly before: she is more open to coaching than she has ever been.
Every senior leader eventually hits the point of thinking, “I can’t keep working with this person.” Maybe commitments get missed, updates do not come unless you chase them, and too much work starts landing back on your side of the fence. After a while, the story in your head starts to change from “How do we fix this?” to “Maybe they are just not up to it.” In this episode of Teams That Swear, Adrian Baillargeon shares how to diagnose what is really going on before you escalate, disengage or mentally fire the person. You’ll learn how to spot three common patterns: misaligned standards, hidden trade-offs and trust erosion through repeated micro-moments. You’ll also get practical language for a direct reset conversation that is clear, measurable and time bound. Teams that swear by each other, not about each other, do not tolerate quiet dysfunction because it feels polite. They confront early, get specific about what needs to change and escalate responsibly. To discuss a Team Pulse Check or the AB Team Dynamics Assessment, email Adrian at [email protected]. And if this episode gave you language you can use with your team, follow Teams That Swear wherever you get your podcasts.