How Awake Window & Door Has Championed Second-Chance Hiring
October 10, 2025
Gone are the days when siloed expertise or individual heroics were enough to drive meaningful results. The world moves too fast. Challenges are too complex. And the stakes — for businesses, communities and personal growth — are too high to lead alone.
The leaders who thrive in this new era aren’t just visionaries, they’re team builders. They know how to unlock human potential, foster cultures of collaboration, and build systems of shared accountability. They lead through what I call teamship: the practice of aligning strengths, perspectives and values to achieve a common vision.
Teamship is more than teamwork. It involves leadership mindset, one rooted in mutual respect, emotional safety, and co-created success. And when it works, it creates an unstoppable force of unity and purpose. And it isn’t about hierarchy — it’s about synergy. While traditional leadership is often centered on control and authority, teamship centers on intentional collaboration. It values contribution over titles and elevates emotional intelligence, shared goals, and long-term growth over quick wins and ego-based recognition.
The most successful organizations are powered by individuals who feel seen, heard and empowered. People no longer want to be just managed. They want to belong. They want to contribute. They want to know that they matter.
And as a leader, your job is to make that possible.
If you want to future-proof your organization and build teams that perform with both excellence and heart, here are four practices to master:
Vulnerability is not weakness. It’s the most powerful signal that your leadership is grounded in truth, not just performance. I call this “leading from the middle voice,” where you’re both the architect of action and the beneficiary of the outcome. Vulnerability is what makes that duality possible.
2. Embrace quirks. Real innovation comes from difference. Celebrate the quirks in how your team members think, operate and show up. Maybe one person is deeply analytical. Another might be wildly creative. One might need time to process. Another might light up in brainstorms. Let those differences exist — better yet, let them shine.
The most inclusive leaders know how to leverage diversity. Innovation comes from tension. Creativity comes from contrast. And belonging comes from a culture where people don’t feel like they have to shrink to fit.
Ask yourself:
Teamship thrives when each person is encouraged to bring their whole self to the table — quirks, contradictions and all.
3. Engage in self-reflection. Strong teams start with self-aware leaders. You set the tone. If you’re rushed, reactive or inconsistent, your team will mirror that energy. If you’re grounded, open and intentional, they’ll rise to meet you there.
I’ve developed a practice called the “Energy Audit” where I regularly ask:
Self-awareness is your strategy because before you can lead others effectively, you have to lead yourself honestly.
Don’t wait for performance reviews to reflect. Make self-reflection part of your daily operating system.
4. Commit to long-term growth. Great teamship isn’t built in a sprint. It’s a marathon of consistent, intentional investment—in your people, in your communication, and in your own development.
Make feedback a culture, not a correction. Shift from “Did we win?” to “What did we learn?” Replace judgment with curiosity. Turn one-on-one meetings into coaching sessions, not checklists.
This isn’t about building a “nice” culture. It’s about building a resilient one where growth is normalized, mistakes are mined for insight, and every individual is actively supported to rise. Because legacy leadership isn’t built through quick wins or singular brilliance, but by consistently choosing long-term impact over short-term comfort.
Teamship is the future of leadership because people want to be part of something that matters. When you lead with the intention to elevate everyone around you, you stop focusing on performance alone. You build a culture of trust, creativity and collective strength. Your wins become team wins, and your success becomes a reflection of the people you empowered to rise with you.
The leaders who leave a legacy aren’t the ones who stand above. They’re the ones who know how to stand beside.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.