For years, I thought I was building trust by letting my team know which decisions I disagreed with. Reading Serve Up, Coach Down, I realised that what felt like transparency was quietly undermining the very decisions I expected my team to support.
Nathan Jamail makes a distinction that I will always remember. Before a decision, my job is to contribute honestly, challenge assumptions and bring my best thinking. Once the decision is made, my job changes. My team no longer needs to know how hard I argued. They need someone who will help them succeed within the chosen direction.
That doesn't mean agreeing with every decision. It doesn't mean pretending I was always in favour of it. It means that once the organisation has committed, my team takes its cue from me. If I hesitate, they hesitate. If I keep reopening yesterday's debate, they never move on.
I still disagree with decisions. That hasn't changed. What changed is what my team needs from me afterwards. They don't need to know how hard I argued in yesterday's meeting. They need someone who can help them move forward today.
Serve Up, Coach Down put a name to a lesson that experience had already taught me: argue before the decision. Own it after.