Team Building Archives

Temporary Roles Are Not Identity Claims: Stewarding Work in Startups

Every startup has more essential work than formally staffed roles to cover it. The strongest employees don't just pick up the slack — they steward temporary roles through their full lifecycle, making gap work visible and deliberately transitioning it to its right long-term home.

Benjamin Trent 2026-03-28

Leadership

The Reluctance to Fire Is a Feature and a Flaw

The reluctance to fire outside of sales is rooted in real costs — long searches, team disruption, and genuine optimism about people's potential. But culture, practice, and the willingness to separate someone's potential from business reality are what determine whether leaders act at the right speed.

Benjamin Trent 2026-03-10

Leadership

If You’re Doing Their Job, You Need Someone Else in the Role

When a leader consistently absorbs a subordinate's work, the cost compounds far beyond lost time. Recognizing the pattern is easy—acting on it with honesty and courage is the real challenge.

Benjamin Trent 2026-02-15