Ever notice how fast “great” shows up in status updates—and how little it explains? We dig into the quiet habits that separate busy leaders from effective ones, starting with a bold experiment: give up being right for six weeks. Instead of supplying answers, we practice staying curious longer, asking for specifics, and creating short pockets of headspace that sharpen judgment and reduce reactivity.

We share simple scripts to turn shallow check-ins into real conversations: What does great mean? What changed since last week? What risk remains? What help do you need? When you pair those questions with the intent to support rather than to catch, teams lean in, own their choices, and surface issues early. We also confront the comfort of platitudes—those political-sounding lines that soothe without informing—and replace them with concrete tradeoffs, timelines, and metrics that actually steer work.

You’ll hear personal stories of parenting language, leadership missteps, and the surprising power of seven quiet minutes in a parked car. We map a practical six-week challenge: remove one answer you’d usually give, add one probing follow-up to every 1:1, block ten minutes of thinking time each day, and ban “it was great” unless it comes with evidence, decision, and next step. The payoff is real capacity growth without extra headcount—clearer ownership, fewer surprises, and faster iteration driven by the people closest to the work.

If this sparks a change in how you lead, share it with a manager who needs less control and more curiosity. Subscribe for more practical leadership playbooks, and drop a review telling us what you think leaders should give up next.