Your Team Is Failing—And It’s Your Fault

Your team is failing. Morale is low. Deadlines keep slipping. And no matter what you try, nothing seems to work.

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. I’ve been there.

The truth is, your team doesn’t have a performance problem—it has a trust problem.

And that trust starts with YOU.

The Reality Check Every Leader Needs

Picture this: Another silent team meeting. No ideas. No energy. Just people waiting for it to be over.

Why?

Because they don’t trust that speaking up will lead to anything good.
Because they don’t believe leadership has their backs.
Because they’ve learned that staying quiet is easier than risking criticism.

You’re the new manager, you’re three quarters in, missing numbers, and waking up at 2 a.m., dreading the next 1:1 with your boss.

So, what do you do?

The Hard Truth: It’s On You

Your team’s failures? They’re yours.

Their missed deadlines? Yours.

Their disengagement? Yours.

And the faster you accept that, the faster you can turn things around.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about Extreme Ownership.

The Fix: Extreme Ownership in Action

At your next team meeting, do this:

1️⃣ Take Full Responsibility—Publicly.

• No excuses. No finger-pointing. Own every failure, every missed deadline, every breakdown in trust.

• Example: "Robert, your project was late last quarter. I failed to help you prioritize, and that put you in an impossible situation. That’s on me."

2️⃣ Acknowledge the Impact.

• Show your team you understand how your leadership gaps affected them.

• Example: "Because I didn’t step in earlier, you were overworked, stressed, and set up to fail. That’s not fair to you."

3️⃣ Commit to Change.

• Outline exactly what you’ll do differently.

• Example: "From now on, I’ll meet with you weekly to make sure priorities are clear and you have the support you need."

What Happens Next?

Your team will react in different ways:

✅ Some will be energized.
✅ Some will be skeptical.
✅ Some will test you to see if you actually mean it.

And some—when they see you take ownership—will step up and do the same.

That’s how real trust begins. That’s how you stop the cycle of blame and frustration.

It won’t happen overnight. But trust me—this works.

Now, it’s up to you.

Will you take the first step?

Let me know how it goes.

— Jeff