Why You Care More Than Your Team Does (And How to Fix It)

Last week’s issue: When Your Best People Start to Drift

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Welcome back to House of Leadership. We explore what it really takes to grow and lead successfully in a fast-paced, high-performance environment. We go beyond metrics to talk about influence, visibility, mindset, and the habits that separate good from great. Whether you're climbing the ladder or helping others do the same, you'll find practical insights to elevate your impact.

🔎 What We’ll Learn in Today’s Newsletter

• Why urgency fades—and how it quietly derails teams

• The signals your team is coasting instead of chasing

• How leaders accidentally enable low-energy execution

• A leadership shift to turn drift into drive

• A conversation script to reignite ownership and urgency in under 15 minutes

• 🔒 [Premium] The “Urgency Reset” I use when my team loses momentum, including the one ritual that makes it stick. Don’t pay for it, expense it.

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Hi friends,

Let’s talk about something that makes your stomach drop:

When you realise you care more than they do.

You’re driving outcomes, chasing progress, keeping the bar high.

But your team?

• Missed deadlines with no follow-up.

• Vague updates that drift week to week.

• No urgency, no ownership, no fire.

It’s not just frustrating, it’s exhausting.

And worse?

You start wondering if the issue is you.

Why Urgency Disappears

It doesn’t happen overnight. It erodes slowly:

• Priorities shift, but expectations don’t.

• Wins aren’t celebrated, so motivation drops.

• Problems are fixed for them, not by them.

• You stop asking the hard questions.

And then?

People start to coast.

Signs You’re Leading a Team That’s Lost Its Spark

This isn’t about underperformance. It’s about under-engagement.

You’ll notice:

• Updates are status-driven, not outcome-focused.

• Goals are met, but just barely.

• Stretch is gone. So is anticipation.

• “Let me know if you need anything” is met with silence.

You don’t need every person to be a firestarter.

But you do need to see signs they’re running with you, not being dragged by you.

How We Accidentally Lower the Bar

This is where most leaders get stuck.

You see the drift. So you:

• Re-plan everything yourself

• Follow up more often

• Fill in the blanks

• Push from behind

But the more you do that, the less your team has to.

And slowly, your effort becomes their crutch.

Flip the Dynamic with This Conversation

If your team’s pace feels off, start here in your next 1:1:

Then follow up with:

This isn’t a scolding. It’s a mirror.

You’re not just nudging action—you’re inviting ownership.

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Urgency Isn’t About Speed. It’s About Intent.

Urgency isn’t panic. It’s clarity. It’s commitment.

It looks like:

• Clear goals with clear deadlines

• Proactive updates (not reactive excuses)

• Energy matched to impact

• Progress tracked publicly

• Leaders setting the tone—without doing the work for them

And most importantly:
It’s your team driving momentum. Not you dragging them.

If your week feels like a never-ending series of nudges, chases, and course-corrections—

It’s time to reset.

Because your job isn’t to carry the team.
It’s to create the environment where they choose to run.

🔒 [Premium] The Urgency Reset Playbook

Inside this week’s premium section, I’ll show you how to rebuild urgency without micromanaging or burning out:

• The “Momentum Audit” I run to diagnose drift

• A 3-step ritual for setting a pace your team buys into

• How to revive energy in stale or slow-moving projects

• Scripts for shifting mindset from compliance to commitment

• A weekly check-in template to keep urgency sustainable

• Loads of our readers expense this through their company. Grab our template here.

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• • Plug-and-play talk tracks - Get word-for-word scripts for handling tough conversations, performance reviews, and escalation calls—so you never freeze or fumble.
• • Confidence boosters before key moments - Quick-read mindset resets and one-liners to ground you before team meetings, 1:1s, or presentations.
• • Proven leadership templates - Use battle-tested coaching plans, escalation frameworks, and team comms templates that save you hours and build trust fast.
• • Messaging that lands - Learn how to say what you mean with clarity and confidence—whether you’re giving tough feedback or rallying a demotivated team.
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