My Agent Stack
I maintain a broader post about the tools I use to run my life and business. This is the AI slice: what sits behind my agent team. The test I apply to anything in this list: if my laptop is closed, can the team keep working? That's the
1-2-1: Reactivity is expensive
Every reactive message I've seen dissected in coaching has the same profile: the content was fine, the timing and tone caused the damage. The email fired off hot. The escalation in the meeting. The response shaped by a stakeholder's tone. And then the cleanup that takes
1-2-1: When alignment becomes the bottleneck
The word I keep hearing in sessions right now is "alignment," usually right before nothing happens. Half my coaching work is alignment. Here's when it becomes the problem. 1 Principle Alignment done once creates momentum. Alignment done constantly creates paralysis. The tell is in the direction
1-2-1: Seniority breaks the feedback system
I asked an engineering director last week when he last received genuinely honest feedback from his team, and he couldn't remember. You got promoted. The honest feedback stopped. Nobody told you. 1 Principle Authority doesn't shrink your blind spot. It expands it. The higher you go,
1-2-1: Tasks aren't clarity
A question that keeps coming up in coaching: "How do I give my team ownership without losing control?" You hired someone for their judgement. Then you gave them a task list. 1 Principle Task lists don't develop capability. They replace it. Every task you prescribe is
1-2-1: Motivation is the last lever
Every high performer in last month's workshop could name a habit they'd been trying to build for months, but none of them had a system to protect it. Most of the leaders I coach are running at about 70% work, 20% relationships, 10% health. They know
Alignment Is the Risk Nobody Talks About
You can feel it before you can name it. The company is growing. Hiring is up. Teams are shipping. The board deck looks healthy. But something is off. Meetings take longer than they should. Decisions get revisited. Good people leave and nobody can explain why. There is a drag on
1-2-1: Reduced friction isn’t alignment
I keep hearing the same story from product leaders: the exec review that went sideways despite months of stakeholder alignment. Your last planning meeting felt smooth. Everyone nodded. No one pushed back. And you walked out slightly uneasy without knowing why. 1 Principle Alignment is behaviour under pressure, not agreement
The Dickens Process: When Knowing Isn't Enough
The cost of standing still is invisible. Until it isn't. Most of the leaders I work with know exactly what needs to change. They can articulate it clearly. They've probably known for months, sometimes years. And still, they haven't moved. This isn't
Most Saved LinkedIn Posts of 2025
I started posting consistently on LinkedIn in April 2025. These are the posts people saved, returned to, and shared most. Together, they reflect the conversations I was having most often with leaders navigating pressure, ambiguity, and change. If you missed a few when they were first published, this is a