Lightbulb Moments
Lightbulb Moments
Short public insights for leadership situations where a small shift in language, attention, or structure can change the conversation.
- Published notes
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- Available entries
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Lightbulb Moments
304 practical notes and conversations
Browse the latest entries first. Each item is written for a real leadership moment, not for platform history.
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Silence is not a sign for harmony
Most leadership dashboards measure the things that make noise. Complaints, escalations, attrition, open conflict. So when a team goes quiet, it reads as good news.
Your resting thinking face
I spend a lot of my week watching leaders think. On video calls, in workshops, in coaching sessions.
Work always expands to the time available!
let's say a project has three weeks to go. The team is 95% done, but somehow the work fills the entire three weeks regardless. It's tight at the end. Nobody was lazy.
The two-word phrase that cools down any team
A while ago I helped a team give their conflict a shared language. Two words: fuel and water. Fuel escalates.
Don't Pluck your Client's Fruits! 🥝🍐🍊
I noticed something again in a coaching conversation this week. There is a moment when someone is almost there. They slow down. Their eyes move.
"Why aren't they moving faster?"
"Why isn't this person moving faster?" I hear some version of this from leaders all the time. You've explained it. You've supported. And still, slow. So we do the natural thing.
Your feedback debt might be compounding!
I was talking about technical debt with a team last week. Shortcuts in the products/code that quietly pile up until the whole thing groans under the 'interest'.
About asking 3 questions at once!
There's a small line in the International Coaching Federation (ICF) coaching standards that I find quietly brilliant.
Boomerasking 🪃
Here's a small self-test I find uncomfortably sharp. You ask someone a question. They answer. And they don't ask it back. Notice what happens inside you. Nothing? Good.
"Mistakes were made" 🤷
"Mistakes were made." Four words. Zero owner. It's the corporate cousin of "I'm sorry you feel that way", and both belong to a family worth knowing: the non-apology.
"Yes" doesn't mean they got it
Stop asking “Does that make sense?” — ask for takeaways instead.
Adding is easy, removing this hard
Every new yes silently sacrifices time, focus, depth, or meaningful priorities.