Interactive Playbook

Seven tools that turn theory
into a working team

Each chapter below pairs a well-known leadership model with a small tool you can run right now — on your own team, this week. Scroll, or jump to a chapter from the left.

01

Start With Why

Simon Sinek — The Golden Circle

Every great team needs a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Before you focus on what you do or how you do it, get clear on why you do it.

Why it matters: Teams that lead with purpose move faster and stay aligned under pressure — the why is what people rally around when the how gets hard.
WHY purpose HOW WHAT
WHY
HOW
WHAT
Quick test: if you asked your top 5 people why your team exists, would they say the same thing?
02

The 70-20-10 Rule

McCall, Lombardo & Eichinger

People learn 70% from challenging experiences, 20% from coaching and mentoring, and only 10% from formal training. Most teams over-invest in training and under-invest in real development.

Why it matters: if your development budget looks the opposite of 70-20-10, you're paying for the 10% that moves the needle least.

Drag the sliders to reflect how your team actually spends its development time this quarter:

On-the-job / challenging experiences70%
Coaching & mentoring20%
Formal training10%
70%
Experience
20%
Coaching
10%
Training
Your mix totals 100% and closely matches the 70-20-10 benchmark.
03

The Trust Triangle

Frances Frei, Harvard Business School

Trust rests on three legs: are you authentic? Do your decisions show sound logic? Do people believe you care about them (empathy)? Without trust, you can't build speed or loyalty.

Why it matters: when trust wobbles, it's almost always one specific leg — not all three. Find which one, and you know exactly what to fix.

Rate yourself (or ask your team to rate you) on each leg, 1–10:

Authenticity — are you real?7
Logic — do your decisions make sense?7
Empathy — do you care?7
AUTHENTICITY LOGIC EMPATHY
04

The 5 Stages of Team Development

Tuckman Model

All teams cycle through these stages. Knowing where you are tells you what kind of leadership the moment actually needs.

Why it matters: most founders panic during "storming." Don't — it's necessary friction, not a sign something is broken.
05

The Johari Window

Luft & Ingham

Self-awareness is a team sport. This maps what's known and unknown about you — to yourself and to others. Click a quadrant to jot down something real for it.

Why it matters: helps surface feedback, build confidence, and avoid surprises — most growth lives in the Blind Spot and Hidden quadrants.

Open

You know, they know

Blind Spot

They know, you don't

Unknown

No one knows yet

06

The Energy / Impact Matrix

Inspired by McKinsey

Map every team member's impact vs. their energy. High-performing teams don't tolerate drift — this makes it visible.

Why it matters: use it to make smart hiring/firing calls, spot burnout early, and retain your highest performers before someone else does.
Keep & Promote
Coach or Reassign
Reignite & Upskill
Consider Exit
Impact →
Energy →
Drag dots to reposition · click × to remove
07

The RAPID Decision-Making Model

Developed by Bain & Company

High-performing teams make fast, clear decisions and know exactly who owns what. Confusion over who's in charge leads to delays, dropped balls, and blame.

Why it matters: assign names to each letter below for your next real decision, and the confusion disappears.