You don't have a people problem.
You have a system problem.

If your team feels chaotic, if you're constantly firefighting, if you keep asking, "Why don't they just do what I told them to do?" — this episode is going to sting a little.

In Episode 122, Tammy J. Bond challenges leaders to confront a hard truth:
You're not leading people — you're managing the mess you designed.

From avoiding underperformance to silence that is mistaken for disengagement, Tammy breaks down how leaders unintentionally reinforce the very behaviors they say they don't want. Drawing on research from Edgar Schein, MIT Sloan, HBR, and real-world case studies, this episode is a wake-up call about culture, accountability, and follow-through.

If you don't like what your team is producing, it's time to look at the system — and the leadership behaviors — that shaped it.

The good news? If you designed it, you can redesign it.

If you feel like you're having the same leadership conversations on repeat, the problem isn't your team — it's how you're handling tension.

In this episode of The Leadership Sandbox, Tammy J. Bond calls out the push-pull trap that keeps leaders stuck swinging between control and compassion, speed and safety, authority and inclusion. What looks like decisiveness is often a reaction. And over time, that reactive pattern quietly erodes trust, consistency, and credibility.

You'll learn why some leadership challenges aren't meant to be solved, but held — and how strong leaders lead through tension instead of trying to escape it.

This episode is for leaders who are tired of whiplash, ready to stop reacting, and willing to stand in the discomfort long enough to lead with clarity.

Bottom line: Push-pull isn't the problem. Not naming it is.

Grief doesn't politely stay home.

It shows up in meetings, deadlines, silence, irritability, and decisions that suddenly feel harder than they used to. And most leaders don't recognize it when it arrives.

Instead, grief at work gets mislabeled as disengagement, attitude, or a performance problem.

In this deeply personal episode of The Leadership Sandbox, Tammy J. Bond steps into a conversation leaders are rarely trained to handle—but are guaranteed to face. Drawing from her own experience with sudden loss and ongoing family challenges, Tammy unpacks how grief quietly impacts capacity, behavior, and trust inside organizations.

This is not a therapy episode.
This is a leadership episode.

• Why grief doesn't "end" when bereavement leave does

• How grief shows up at work in ways leaders often misinterpret

• The difference between a performance issue and a capacity issue

• Why treating grief like a character flaw erodes trust

• Three practical leadership moves that create safety without lowering standards

• How to apply the COMMAND Leadership Operating System to moments of grief

• What it really means to lead humans—not just workflows

• Slower thinking and decision fatigue

• Missed details or forgetfulness

• Irritability or a shorter fuse

• Withdrawal in meetings

• Perfectionism or micromanaging

• Being present—but not fully functional

These are not motivation problems.
They are capacity challenges.

1. Name reality without making it weird

2. Create a capacity plan—not a sympathy speech

3. Keep the standard and adjust the path

Grief doesn't remove accountability.
It requires clearer priorities and fewer moving parts.

• Claim Reality – Grief exists in your workforce whether you acknowledge it or not

• Own Impact – Your response sets the emotional temperature

• Map the System – Leave, workload, coverage, expectations

• Move the Behavior – Check-ins, clarity, flexibility with structure

• Anchor the Standard – Humanity and accountability can coexist

• Normalize Accountability – Fewer priorities, clearly measured

• Deploy & Defend – Protect people from being punished for being human

Grief isn't a performance issue first.
It's a capacity issue.

And capacity is a leadership responsibility.

If you only know how to lead people on their best days—you don't yet know how to lead.

If this episode resonated, share it with a leader, manager, or team member who could benefit from a more human approach to leadership during hard seasons.