Notes on leadership from the inside: how decisions get made, where teams get stuck, and what it takes to move things forward.

I’ve spent a lot of years working with CEOs and business owners. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the real problems in an organization rarely announce themselves. They show up sideways. In a meeting that feels off. In a conversation that goes nowhere. In a kitchen that nobody seems to think is their problem. This is a story about a coffee pot.

I’ve used personality assessments for over twenty years. And the thing I’ve learned — the thing most leaders miss — is that the useful part isn’t the section that makes people feel good about themselves.

Everyone reads their profile the same way. They get to the strengths and think: yes, exactly, that’s me. They nod through the challenges section a little faster. They file it away feeling seen and affirmed.

That’s not how these tools actually help you.

I’ve had a lot of conversations with leaders over the years. Most of them are about growth, succession, team dynamics, pressure, uncertainty — the familiar terrain of running something that matters.

My conversation with Mark Gasparotto was different.