Last week, we ran the second of three workshops with a team of Equity Partners in a law firm.
It’s a firm that has seen rapid growth over the past few years. Now, their long-time leader is retiring. And while the business has achieved impressive results, the team is asking a deeper question: how do we lead this business forward—together?
This isn’t about one person stepping into a leadership role. It’s about a team growing into the leadership that’s required next.
On the other end of the scale, I met with a CEO this week whose business has grown from 3 to 13 people in a year. What’s surfaced? Tensions. Performance dips. Erosion of trust. Sound familiar?
Two very different teams. Same core challenge.
When teams grow or change—whether it’s in size, leadership or speed—they must evolve. And they can’t do that unless they work on themselves as a team.
That means looking beyond strategy and capability. It means asking: what’s our ecosystem like? Is it healthy?
Because when trust breaks down, so does everything else.
Patrick Lencioni put it perfectly: the first dysfunction of a team is the absence of trust. Not trust in someone’s CV, title or technical skill. But human trust.
The kind that comes from vulnerability.
From knowing each other beyond the surface.
From creating the safety to say, “I need help” or “I don’t have this figured out”.
That’s where everything starts. Without it, collaboration is fake, decisions are half-hearted, and people keep their heads down instead of stepping up.
So if your team is navigating change, growth or uncertainty—don’t start with goals. Start with trust.
And next week, I’ll share what comes next after that.