ExperienceYes

When someone says something in a meeting and everything changes - the energy shifts, people go quiet, someone's camera turns off - what do you do?

Most leaders? They pretend nothing happened. They move on. And in that moment, they've just told their team: "It's not safe to be real here."

Here's what actually works: acknowledge it. Create space. Ask a question. "Hey, feels like we hit something important here" or "Let's pause and give everyone a chance to say something."

That's it. You're building psychological safety in real time. You're telling your team it's safe to speak up, to take risks, to be human.

We come from improv, where this principle is fundamental: if you drop something on stage, you pick it back up. You acknowledge it. You don't pretend it didn't happen. That's the same principle that builds trust in your team.

Leaders who understand this? Their teams stay longer, speak up more, and drive better business outcomes. It's not soft. It's strategic.

Your teams are busy. Everyone's doing their own thing, staying in their own lane, and frankly, not thinking much about what anyone else needs.

That's Teamwork Terminator behavior, and it's killing your productivity.

Teamwork Terminators show up when people hoard information. They become gatekeepers. They focus so hard on their own work that they forget there's a whole team around them trying to move forward. And when silos form, collaboration dies.

Here's what happens: teams stop talking to each other. They don't understand what the other person is dealing with. They don't know what support they need.
Work slows down. Innovation stops. People get frustrated.

The neuroscience is simple - when we're busy and stressed, our brains default to self-protection mode. We focus inward. We protect our turf. We stop collaborating.

The fix starts with two simple questions.

First, ask yourself: What are they experiencing that is keeping them from moving forward with this idea? What are they dealing with that I may not know?

Then take it a step further: What might they need from me to do their job better?

These two questions break the silo mentality. They force you out of your own lane and into someone else's reality. Suddenly, you're not just thinking about your work - you're thinking about how to help them succeed.

People are much more productive when they work together. So avoid that brain hijack of staying in your own lane and leaving everybody alone. Connect with your team. Ask what they need. Watch what happens.