Leadership & Teams (and a Personal Story) I Direct Application with Matt Harrington

When I think back on my early years learning about teams, it's hard not to think about my late mother, Deborah Mackin.

For over 30 years, she helped organizations like Keurig, Coca-Cola, Delta Faucet and Sanofi Pasteur build high-performance, team-based cultures.

I've shared how Deb often began her work with Fortune 500 companies by cautioning them not to implement teams! Her reasoning was straightforward:
“The biggest thing about teaming, and the reason I’m trying to convince you not to do it, is because it requires full commitment from leadership to truly change the culture required for teaming. Do you think you're ready for that?”

That message has stayed with me.

Building a team-based culture isn’t a retreat or an initiative that fades by November. It’s a long game - years, not months - and it begins and ends with leadership commitment.

In this episode of my podcast, Direct Application, I reflect on those early lessons from Deb and what they still mean for leaders today: