Use a "disagree and commit" approach instead of chasing consensus. Consensus means everyone agrees (impossible). Buy-in means everyone commits even when they don't fully agree (achievable). Stop trying to make everyone happy and start getting everyone committed to moving forward together.

You've been in the same meeting for six weeks. You're still trying to get everyone to agree. You keep tweaking the proposal. You keep accommodating concerns. And nothing's happening.

The average executive spends 23 hours per week in meetings. And a huge chunk of that is spent trying to reach consensus on decisions that could have been made in 30 minutes.

You'll learn:

• Why chasing consensus kills your credibility as a leader
• What buy-in actually sounds like (and why it's different from agreement)
• How to create a culture where people disagree in the room and commit in the hallway
• What to do when someone won't commit no matter what you try
• How to spot fake buy-in and address it immediately

Questions this episode answers:

• What's the difference between consensus and buy-in?
• How do I get my team to commit to decisions they don't agree with?
• Why does chasing consensus create terrible decisions?
• What is Amazon's "Disagree and Commit" principle?
• How do I handle someone who won't commit to team decisions?

Key takeaway: You can't make everyone agree. But you can get everyone to commit. Consensus is impossible. Buy-in is achievable.

Connect with Colby Morris:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram

Use the GRIT framework to make wise decisions without perfect information: Gather the right information, Reflect on your values, Involve the right people, and Take action and own the outcome.

You've been staring at a decision for two weeks. You're waiting for perfect clarity. It's not coming. Most leaders either freeze or guess - neither works.

You'll learn:

• A simple 4-step framework for making confident decisions without all the facts
• How to know when you've gathered enough information
• The question that changes everything before you decide
• How to involve people without creating decision paralysis
• What it actually means to own the outcome

Questions this episode answers:

• How do I make confident decisions without all the facts?
• When should I stop gathering information and just decide?
• How do I involve people without turning it into a committee?
• What's the difference between a fast decision and a framework decision?

Key takeaway: Good leaders don't wait for perfect clarity. They have a process for making wise decisions with whatever information they actually have.

Connect with Colby Morris:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram

You're delegating all the time—assigning projects, distributing work, telling people what needs to get done. So why do they keep coming back to you with questions? Because you're delegating tasks, not authority. And there's a massive difference.

When you delegate tasks, you're saying "Do this thing exactly how I would do it." When you delegate authority, you're saying "This is yours. You own it. Make the calls."

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The 3-step framework for delegating authority without creating chaos
• Why "Never bring me just a problem" transforms your team into problem-solvers
• How to set guardrails so people have freedom without going rogue
• What to do when you've delegated but can't stop checking in
• The real difference between task delegation and authority delegation

Common questions answered in this episode:

• How do I delegate without losing control of the outcome?
• What's the difference between delegating tasks and delegating authority?
• How do I get my team to stop asking me for every decision?
• What if they do it differently than I would?
• How do I build decision-makers instead of task-followers?

Key takeaway: You don't delegate tasks to create leaders. You delegate authority. And it starts with trusting people before they're perfect.

Connect with Colby:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram

Use this 4-question framework to determine which decisions require your authority: (1) Does this require information only I have? (2) Does this set precedent or carry significant risk? (3) Am I holding onto this for the right reasons? (4) Who is best positioned to make this call?

Most leaders spend their days buried in operational decisions while their teams wait to be told what to do. The problem isn't bad decision-making—it's that leaders don't know how to determine which decisions are actually theirs to make.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The 4 questions that instantly tell you whether a decision belongs on your desk
• Why most decisions fail the "Do I have unique information?" test
• The self-reflection question that separates good leaders from great ones
• What to do when the problem isn't the decision—it's the person
• How to hand decisions back to your team without creating chaos

Common questions answered in this episode:

• How do I know which decisions I should make versus delegate?
• When should a leader make a decision versus empowering their team?
• How can I stop being a bottleneck as a leader?
• What if I don't trust my team member to make the right decision?

Key takeaway: If you're making every decision, you're not leading. You're just really busy.

Connect with Colby:

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: Colby Morris

Colby works with organizations through keynote speaking, executive coaching, and leadership training to build people-first cultures that get results.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram

How do you onboard new employees effectively? Don't leave it all to HR. While HR handles paperwork and compliance, leaders must own the relationship-building aspects of onboarding. Stay in contact before Day 1, ensure workspace and tools are ready, conduct weekly one-on-ones for the first 90 days, and teach culture through real stories instead of just handing someone a handbook.

Episode Description

Your HR department is great at what they do. They handle paperwork, benefits, compliance training.

But they can't make someone feel like they belong on your team. That's your job.

Most managers think onboarding is HR's responsibility. So they stay hands-off until Day 1—or worse, Week 2. And by Month 3, they're wondering why their new hire is disengaged.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What to do before Day 1 to build excitement and connection
• How to make Day 1 seamless instead of awkward
• Why weekly one-on-ones are non-negotiable for the first 90 days
• How to teach culture through stories, not slides

Because HR can handle the paperwork. But building belonging? That's on you.

Resources Mentioned

• Dan Collard quote: "Culture can't just hang on the walls. It has to walk the halls."

Connect with Colby Morris

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris
Website: nxtstepadvisors.com

Coming Soon (April 2026)

• Second weekly podcast episode featuring interviews with leaders
• YouTube version of The Things Leaders Do podcast

Remember: HR can handle the paperwork. But you have to handle the belonging.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram

How do you avoid making bad hires? Stop interviewing for skills and start interviewing for character using Patrick Lencioni's Humble, Hungry, and Smart framework. Ask specific behavioral questions that reveal these three virtues, watch for red flags like excessive charm or similarity bias, and use the first 90 days—especially your one-on-ones—to assess whether the person truly fits your team culture.

Episode Description

74% of employers admit they've hired the wrong person. The average cost? $14,900. And 28% of new employees quit within the first 90 days.

Why? Because we're interviewing for skills instead of character.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The specific interview questions that reveal Humble, Hungry, and Smart
• Colby's alternative to "What's your greatest weakness?" that actually works
• Four red flags you're probably ignoring
• How to use the first 90 days and your one-on-ones to catch issues early

Stop hiring people who interview well but underperform. Start hiring for character.

Resources Mentioned

• "The Ideal Team Player" by Patrick Lencioni

Connect with Colby Morris

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris
Website: nxtstepadvisors.com

Coming Soon (April 2026)

• Second weekly podcast episode featuring interviews with leaders
• YouTube version of The Things Leaders Do podcast

Remember: 74% of employers have made a bad hire. But it doesn't have to be you.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram

How do you know when someone needs more coaching versus when you've made a hiring mistake? Look for three signs: (1) They're missing one of Patrick Lencioni's core virtues (Humble, Hungry, or Smart) and it's not improving, (2) You're having the same coaching conversation on repeat with no change, and (3) Your high performers are asking pointed questions about this person. If it's a hiring mistake, handle the transition with dignity: be clear about the decision, own your part, focus on what's next, and communicate to your team only after the person has left.

Episode Description

How do you know if someone just needs more coaching, or if you made a hiring mistake? When should you stop giving them "more time" and acknowledge it's not a fit? And how do you handle the transition without creating legal liability?

Most leaders wait too long on bad hires because they don't want to give up on people. They keep coaching, keep hoping, keep giving "one more quarter" for things to turn around. But here's the truth: You can coach skills, but you can't coach culture fit, intrinsic motivation, or fundamental character traits.

In this episode, Colby breaks down the critical difference between performance issues (fixable) and hiring mistakes (not fixable). You'll learn Patrick Lencioni's Humble, Hungry, Smart framework for identifying when someone is missing a core virtue, why Kim Scott's "Ruinous Empathy" explains why we avoid these decisions, and Brené Brown's principle that "clear is kind" when it comes to transitions.

Plus, the exact four-step framework for handling the transition with dignity while protecting yourself legally.

Key Takeaways

• The difference between performance issues (what someone does) and hiring mistakes (who someone is)
• Patrick Lencioni's three virtues every team player needs: Humble, Hungry, and Smart
• The three signs it's a hiring mistake, not a performance issue
• Why "Ruinous Empathy" keeps us coaching too long on bad hires
• The four-step framework for transitioning someone out with dignity
• Critical legal consideration: Don't communicate to your team until after the person has left

Who This Episode Is For

Middle managers and executives who've been coaching someone for months with no improvement, who are wondering if they should keep trying or acknowledge it's not a fit, and who need a clear framework for making the call and handling the transition professionally.

Connect with Colby

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris

Coming in April 2026: A second weekly episode featuring interviews with leaders sharing actionable tools they've learned throughout their careers. Plus, the YouTube version of The Things Leaders Do podcast!

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram

How do you actually have a performance conversation with an underperforming team member? Use a six-step framework: (1) Schedule it without drama, (2) Start with specific observations, (3) Listen to understand the root cause, (4) Name the impact clearly, (5) Create a specific plan together, and (6) End with a clear recap. Then follow up the next week—not when you remember, but when you said you would. The conversation without follow-up is just theater.

Episode Description

What do you actually say in a performance conversation? How do you start without putting someone on the defensive? How do you know if it's a skill issue, a resource issue, or a motivation issue—and why does that matter?

Most managers know they need to have the conversation, but they have no idea what to say. They end up going too soft (nothing changes) or too hard (the person shuts down). Neither works.

In this second part of a two-part series, Colby walks through the exact six-step framework for having the early intervention conversation. You'll learn what to say to start it, how to listen for what's actually wrong, how to create a clear plan together, and—most importantly—how to follow up so the course-correction actually sticks.

If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, start there to learn when to have this conversation and why addressing issues immediately matters.

Key Takeaways

• The six-step framework for having the performance conversation
• How to schedule it without making it feel like they're getting fired
• What to listen for: skill issue, resource issue, priority issue, motivation issue, or personal issue
• Why you need to name the impact clearly (not just the behavior)
• How to create a specific plan with specific deadlines
• The follow-up strategy: check in next week, look for progress not perfection
• When to escalate vs. when to keep coaching (3-4 weeks is the timeframe)

Who This Episode Is For

Middle managers who know they need to have a performance conversation, who want the exact words to use so they don't go too soft or too hard, and who need a follow-up strategy that actually works.

Connect with Colby

• Website: nxtstepadvisors.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris

Missed Part 1? Go back and listen to learn when to have the conversation and why early intervention is the kindest thing you can do.

• Colby's LinkedIn Profile
• Things Leaders Do Instagram