McChrystal Group

You had a plan. Then life happened, and it crumbled like a house of cards. That’s the reality of today’s operating environment: It’s not stable; it’s complex. And static org charts can’t keep up. What does keep up? ✅ Teams that think together. ✅ Leaders who empower, not control. ✅ Organizations built for adaptability, not rigidity. That’s why the Team of Teams Framework is more relevant than ever. It helps modern leaders turn chaos into clarity and setbacks into strategic advantage. Read the Executive Summary: https://lnkd.in/eKurqE9Q Resilience doesn’t come from rigid plans; it comes from teams that can flex, adapt, and win together. We hope you and your team won the week. If not, remember...it's Fri-YAY! #FunFriday #TeamOfTeams #FriYAY

How do you keep your teams aligned when everything around you is changing? In this week’s #MGWeeklyWhiteboard, Christopher Fussell breaks down the challenge of sustaining alignment in fast-paced, complex environments—and why traditional, top-down models fall short. Leaders must stop relying solely on intermittent check-ins and start building networked teams that resynchronize frequently, communicate transparently, and move ahead of intent—not behind it. When complexity outpaces command, leadership must shift from control to connection. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Team of Teams, this video offers a tactical entry point into building Shared Consciousness and enabling Empowered Execution—two core capabilities of adaptive, high-performing teams. Watch the full video for more: https://lnkd.in/eDebBSmK #TeamOfTeams10 #OrganizationalAlignment #TeamOfTeams #WeeklyWhiteboard #McChrystalGroup

Your first 100 days in a new executive role can define your legacy. From day one, you're expected to clarify your vision, build trust with your team, align competing priorities, and deliver results—all before you've even memorized everyone's names. There's little room for drift and even less for indecision. McChrystal Group’s First 100 Days Workbook is built to help you lead with clarity, speed, and intent. It arms you with the tools to define what success looks like, establish your decision-making authority, design an operating rhythm that drives alignment, and track the metrics that matter. No fluff—just the frameworks and questions that matter most. If you're stepping into a new role or know someone who is, this is the resource you need to start strong and lead deliberately. Access the workbook here: https://lnkd.in/eYc7WEmA

Think decisive leaders drive success? Try again. Recent insights from Naomi Rothman of Lehigh University reveal that the best leaders don't charge ahead with unwavering certainty. Instead, embracing ambivalence—the ability to hold and consider conflicting viewpoints— is emerging as a critical leadership trait. But recognizing ambivalence is just the beginning. Leaders must adopt a more nuanced approach to cultivate a thriving organizational culture. Embracing ambivalence allows leaders to navigate complexity with a balanced perspective. The "Lead Like a Gardener Model" can help harness and scale ambivalence effectively. This model emphasizes: 💠 Breaking Up Hard Soil: Challenging entrenched behaviors and outdated processes to foster innovation. 💠 Planting Seeds in the Right Place: Aligning team members' unique strengths with organizational needs. 💠 Ensuring Essential Nutrients Are Available: Providing teams with the necessary resources and authority to excel. This gardening metaphor extends beyond ambivalence, advocating for leaders to cultivate environments where teams can adapt and thrive amidst uncertainty. Ambivalence is vital to the gardener's mindset, characterized by adaptability, resilience, and empowered execution. Explore this transformative leadership model: https://lnkd.in/eR_F4Y9A. #Leadership #TeamOfTeams #McChrystalGroup #LeadLikeAGardener #ExecutiveLeadership #OrganizationalAgility

Is this a live look of your hybrid meetings? Between juggling Slack messages, Zoom calls, Teams pings, and the “Can you hear me?” moments, hybrid communication can feel… like hybrid chaos. But here’s the truth: It doesn’t have to be. Leaders who master remote communication drive clarity, build trust, and actually get things done—without feeling like the air traffic controller from "Airplane." Christopher Fussell pulled together 10 Best Practices to help leaders navigate hybrid environments and keep their teams aligned (and sane): https://lnkd.in/gXsUKPcU Because leadership shouldn’t feel like you’re coordinating a moon landing every time you run a meeting. Happy Fri-YAY! #FriYay #HybridLeadership #RemoteCommunication #SharedConsciousness #TeamOfTeams

Has your organization built a Team of Teams? We want to hear your story. As part of the 10th anniversary of Team of Teams, The Leader’s Journal is featuring stories from leaders who have built adaptable, high-trust organizations that execute at speed. Your story could inspire fellow leaders facing today’s toughest leadership challenges. Submit your story here: https://bit.ly/ToT_Stories Let’s learn from each other—and build the next generation of Teams of Teams. Sign up for The Leader's Journal and get our latest insights delivered to your inbox every other Thursday: https://lnkd.in/erN5aipa

Trust is not a warm-and-fuzzy concept. It’s a hard requirement for teams that must make high-stakes decisions quickly. But trust isn’t built on feelings alone. It's built on three measurable factors. Most leaders believe trust is either there or it’s not. But the reality is that trust is earned—and eroded—through three critical components: 🔹 Reliability — Do you follow through every time? 🔹 Competence — Are you actually good at what you do? 🔹 Benevolence — Do people believe you have their best interest at heart? The takeaway? You don’t need all three in every moment. But context matters. Your people are constantly assessing which one they need most from you—and if they’re not getting it, trust fractures. Meghan Bourne explains how this works in real teams in our #MGWeeklyWhiteboard: https://lnkd.in/eF9G9sb4

Is Your Organization Built to Adapt? The landscape moves faster than ever, and the rules and norms of the game are changing. Traditional operating models simply aren’t fast or flexible enough to keep pace. The disruptors gaining ground aren’t necessarily smarter. They’re more adaptable. The Leader’s Journal is launching a year-long series in honor of the 10th Anniversary of Team of Teams dedicated to helping leaders build trust, common purpose, shared consciousness, and empowered execution. Our first articles are already live, covering how misaligned communication kills execution and why trust is the currency of speed. Don’t miss out—subscribe to The Leader’s Journal today: https://lnkd.in/es8AbHUT

Time Change Got You Like… Between shifting clocks, endless priorities, and the relentless pace of leadership, even the most seasoned exec can feel like collapsing by Friday. But here’s the thing—burnout isn’t just about hours worked. It’s about decision fatigue, priority paralysis, and carrying the weight of competing demands without a clear path forward. The fix? Common Purpose. When leaders clarify why the work matters, teams move faster, decisions are easier, and the mental load lightens. Before you pack it in for the weekend, give yourself (and your team) the gift of focus: https://lnkd.in/eF6hRSbD Clarity isn’t just a productivity hack—it’s how great leaders stave off burnout and keep winning. #FriYay #CommonPurpose #LeadershipClarity #SharedConsciousness #Priorities

Are you driving engagement or just chasing consensus? They’re two very different approaches with two very different outcomes. We often hear leaders say they want more engagement from their teams. But here’s a common trap: confusing consensus with engagement. The truth? People don’t need everyone to agree with them. What they do need is to feel heard, respected, and valued during the decision-making process—even if the final call doesn’t go their way. In this week’s Weekly Whiteboard, we break down a simple tool we teach leaders: Phase One and Phase Two Decision-Making. ➡️ Phase One: Create space for input, identify the problem, and weigh options. ➡️ Phase Two: Make a decision, commit, and communicate clearly. Leaders who clarify these two phases build trust, strengthen engagement, and make faster, more effective decisions. Learn how to build a culture of engagement without falling into the consensus trap: https://lnkd.in/eiPaKNX9 #Leadership #DecisionMaking #TeamEngagement #OrganizationalCulture #McChrystalGroup