What happens when the textbook answer about leadership doesn't match the needs of the actual person standing in front of you?

Leadership principles matter. Frameworks matter. Policies matter. But people aren't multiple-choice questions, and real leadership gets complicated when abstract principles collide with actual human beings.

In this episode, I share a lesson I learned during a leadership class at the Virginia Military Institute, when my answer to a quiz question was marked wrong. The "correct" answer may have worked on paper, but I wasn't convinced it was the right way to lead the person involved.

That experience reinforced an idea I've carried with me ever since: ask before you assume. Listen before you act.

It's also one of the reasons Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek remains one of my favorite leadership b ...