5 Keys to Sturdy Leadership

This week in our franchisee mastermind, I challenged them to embrace sturdy leadership—a mindset that, when practiced consistently, keeps your team’s confidence in you strong and unwavering.

I first learned about this idea from parenting expert Dr. Becky, who teaches sturdy parenting: staying connected while setting clear boundaries. The same applies to leadership—it’s about balancing trust, consistency, and strength for both short-term wins and long-term success.

Here’s what being a sturdy leader means to me:

🔹 Make Moves, Not Excuses – Own your choices, mood, and words. If something goes wrong, adjust and move forward. No blaming, no delays.

🔹 Consistency is Queen – Don’t work in sprints. Keep a steady pace and be the leader your team expects—day in, day out.

🔹 Do What You Say You Will Do – I learned DWYSYWD (Do What You Say You Will Do) in college, and it stuck. Overpromising and underdelivering? That’s not sturdy.

🔹 Authority with Flexibility – Be firm but adaptable. Great leaders hold the line but evolve when needed.

🔹 Empathy ≠ Weakness – Understand your team’s emotions, but don’t get lost in them. Listen, validate, then lead. Feelings matter, but so do results.

I love when you respond to my emails, let me know what you think about this one!