November 2025

Teams can agree on goals and still collide. The issue is rarely the priorities themselves, but the silent weighting behind them.

Using Jonathan Haidt’s moral foundations as a lens, this post shows why “agreement isn’t alignment,” and how to uncover the decision criteria that drive conflict.

Last week: “don’t” language can push teams into fear and caution. This week: sometimes “don’t” is the most responsible word a leader can use.

When the cost of error is high, boundaries create safety, speed, and focus. The right “no” turns confusion into execution.

A single phrase can flip a team from confident to cautious. “Don’t screw this up” narrows focus to failure; “make this simple and clear” directs attention to the action that wins.

This post breaks down the avoidance frame, why it shows up under pressure, and how leaders can replace it with performance language.