This Week in Leadership
The Friday Five - Issue 17
Challenging leaders to maximize their potential
Terry Wetzel ~ Summit Leadership Development
Empty Chair Test
Most leaders focus on how they command a room. But the real measure of your leadership is what happens when you aren't in it. If your team freezes, waits for permission, or keeps quiet when a problem arises because you aren't there to "fix it," you haven't built a team—you’ve built a dependency. True leadership is the art of making yourself obsolete.
The (Silent) Erosion of Accountability
Accountability rarely vanishes in a single, dramatic collapse; instead, it suffers a "silent erosion" through the slow accumulation of unaddressed lapses. This decay begins when "just this once" becomes the baseline, and leaders prioritize temporary harmony over necessary friction. When deadlines become suggestions and "I’ll try" replaces "I will," the psychological contract within a team begins to fray. Reclaiming excellence starts with the courage to address the small things before they become the standard.
Under the Microscope
In leadership, there is no such thing as an "off" switch; you operate under a permanent microscope where every gesture, pause, and offhand remark is amplified and interpreted. This "Shadow of the Leader" effect means that your team isn't just listening to your formal speeches—they are decoding your body language in meetings, noting who you praise, and observing which behaviors you overlook. Because your influence is constant, every interaction is a choice: you are either reinforcing the culture you want or inadvertently documenting its decline. You are the living blueprint for your team’s standards.
Habits
Great leadership is rarely the result of a single act; it is the accumulated small, intentional daily habits. While strategy wins headlines, consistency wins culture. High-impact leaders don't leave their influence to chance; they anchor their day in habits — such as a morning "walkabout" to connect with the team, a daily hour for deep strategic thinking, or a disciplined practice of end-of-day reflection. These routines keep the leader grounded when the chaos of the workday hits. By automating excellence through habits, you free up the bandwidth required for complex decision-making.
Future Leaders
True leadership isn't defined by how many followers you have, but by how many leaders you create. A leader’s legacy is effectively a leadership pipeline that requires cultivation through formal systems and informal moments. While mentorship programs and professional development courses provide the framework, the most profound growth often happens in the "white space"—the debrief after a difficult call, the delegation of a high-stakes task, or the invitation for a junior colleague to sit in on an important meeting. By treating every challenge as a teaching moment and every success as a chance to share the spotlight, you ensure that the organization’s future isn't left to chance.
Quote of the Week
“The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.” — Todd Whittaker
Book of the Week
If you have been a dedicated reader of this newsletter, you know I generally do not care for books told in a “story” style but this is another exception. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is considered a classic in leadership literature and still rings true today. It is an easy read and you will be able to see many similarities in the team discussed in the book to your own team(s).
That’s it for this week
Be epic, not average. The world has enough average.
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The photo in today’s web edition is Mabel walking along the north branch of the Oconto River in Wisconsin.
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