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T.A.S.T.E. Leadership Lessons #1 - #3
Morning Minute 9.9.25
“The T.A.S.T.E. Leadership Module: Lesson #1 – Truth”
Truth is the first—and most important—component of successful leadership.
The first person who deserves truth is you. But what is truth? Is it the way you see people, events, and results—or the way they really are?
A simple definition: truth is being in accordance with fact and reality. Since leadership is built on decision-making, you must see people, events, and results as they actually are. That starts - with you.
The challenge? We see the world through paradigms—filters shaped by our environment, experiences, and biases. These filters can distort facts.
(For example) At dusk, you see a shadow on a wall and assume it’s a person. You cross the street to avoid a confrontation, only to realize it was just a tree. The “threat” was your brain reacting to a past story you read, not the truth in front of you.
As a leader, you must separate facts from feelings. Ask yourself: How do my actions—and the way I lead—affect my team’s performance? Then adjust what you think and do, to align with reality.
Your team deserves truth, too. Just as students who are passed without learning never reach their potential, team members who aren’t confronted with deficiencies can’t grow. Truth means addressing problems and celebrating successes. What gets rewarded, gets repeated.
Truth must also flow both ways. If a team member raises an issue with your words or actions, listen. If they’ve misunderstood, clarify. If they’re right—thank them, and change.
Without truth, nothing else in leadership works. It is the foundation of effectiveness.
Morning Minute Challenge:
Identify one of your paradigms or traits that is keeping your team from competing at a championship level. Commit to change to help your team achieve their potential.
In our next session, we will discuss “accountability.”
TRUTH: The first and most important component of leadership.
That’s today’s Morning Minute!
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“The T.A.S.T.E. Leadership Model: Lesson #2 – Accountability”
Accountability is more than a trait—it’s a culture. And culture always starts at the top.
When leaders model accountability, it gives the team permission, and the expectation, to do the same. When leaders avoid it, blame spreads, and performance collapses.
True accountability isn’t just about owning mistakes. It’s about:
• Delivering on commitments.
• Holding others to agreed standards.
• Creating clarity on roles and results.
• Committing to excellence and continuous improvement.
• Giving credit generously—while taking responsibility personally.
I learned this early in my career. After just a few months of selling cars, I was called to the owner’s office. He asked me to step in as used car manager after the previous manager resigned. I protested—I was too young, I was too inexperienced, and I knew little about used cars. But the owner told me it wasn’t product knowledge, nor sales ability that mattered. It was my willingness to support others in their efforts to be successful. Plus, my willingness to take responsibility for the team.
That lesson shaped my view of leadership. Accountability is not about being the smartest in the room. It’s about owning the team’s performance, committing to continuous improvement, and creating a culture where accountability is the norm.
Final thought: The most successful coaches give credit to the players when the team wins, and accept responsibility when the team loses. Will you commit to do the same?
Morning Minute Challenge:
What specific action will you take this week to model accountability so clearly, that your team naturally follows your lead?
Lesson 1 was on Truth. The next lesson will be on Support.
“The T.A.S.T.E. Leadership Model: Lesson #2 – Accountability”
That’s today’s Morning Minute!
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“The T.A.S.T.E. Leadership Model: Lesson #3 – SUPPORT!”
Balancing Strength and Flexibility - the Hidden Forces Behind Team Success!
The leadership function of support is essential to accomplishing your objectives!
Imagine viewing a railroad bridge spanning across a gorge 200 feet above the river. You notice that the beams supporting the bridge are placed in three different positions: vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. By working together, these beams distribute the weight of the bridge, ensuring success through both strength and flexibility.
Your team members need that same kind of support from you…the leader. That support comes in two forms: strength and flexibility.
SUPPORTING WITH STRENGTH; Like the bridge across the river, strong teams require structural support:
• Attracting and hiring the right people
• Having the right people doing the right jobs
• Ensuring that they have the right training for those jobs
• Giving them the right tools to complete the jobs successfully
• Installing the right processes to create the best results
Strength provides the foundation your team can rely on.
SUPPORTING WITH FLEXIBILITY; Unlike the beams of the bridge, people have good days and not-so-good days. They need you to recognize both—and they will need your support along the way. Flexibility means adapting your leadership to what the moment requires.
Being the leader requires that you:
• Be a teacher – show them what to do, how to do it, and why it matters.
• Be a mentor – help them use their abilities to improve their performance.
• Be an organizer – put the right people in the right roles.
• Be an instigator – get the team started, monitor progress, and keep them moving.
• Be a disciplinarian – set standards, expect compliance, and insist on excellence.
• Be a cheerleader – catch people doing things right and celebrate them.
Flexibility brings out the best in people by meeting them where they are. Mastering these support functions—strength and flexibility—will bring out the best in your team, and in you.
“The T.A.S.T.E. Leadership Model: Lesson #3 – Support!”
That is today’s Morning Minute.
(Lesson #4 will be on TRUST!)
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