It Just Takes ONE
It Just Takes ONE
Picture a drop of green dye falling into a pitcher of clear water. One drop changes the color. One leader can do the same on a team.
When we are part of a team, we assume change has to come from the team. That everyone must shift together. That progress depends on the group.
I’ve seen that belief slow things down and frustrate leaders. The truth is different. Change starts with ONE.
Let me illustrate this with one of the sectors I develop leaders in. In school districts, the school board needs to be a partner with staff to be effective. Too often however, boards are divided, limiting their effectiveness. Decisions are made to “improve” the district, but staff feel disconnected. Implementation slows down. Frustration grows across the board. But when ONE board member decides to lead differently, something begins to change in that dynamic.
There is a playbook for this ONE board member influencing many.
Call the Superintendent. Get clear on the top three priorities of the district. Tell the Superintendent you want to meet with staff.
Meet with staff leading those priorities. Ask open-ended questions. What are the targets? What is working? What is missing? What could accelerate results?
Invite a peer, another board member to join. Debrief afterward. What did you learn? How can we lead together?
Show up curious. Show up as a partner. Start with one conversation. Then another.
Most of you are not on a school board, but you are on a team. You need a playbook to make your team more effective. And it starts with the relationships you have. That is what leadership is: the relationship that influences what others do in their roles. The stronger the relationship, the greater your leadership. You influence another person. They begin to stretch into their role. You influence the next. Person by person, your team starts to lead together. I used to think a team could only change if everyone moved together. I was wrong. One leader, consistently showing up, can shift the whole team.
Here’s how ONE leader can create this kind of clarity, alignment, and cohesion.
Clarity can start with ONE. You have to believe that. You can define the destination and explain what success looks like in real terms. You can ask: Where are we going and how will we know when we get there? You model this clarity in your words and practices. Slowly, others begin to see the destination too. The team begins to act with clarity and they start following your lead.
Alignment grows from clarity. You identify the strategies and directions that will actually move the team toward the priorities. Ask: what actions will hit the targets? Who owns each piece? Where are the gaps or conflicts? Make it visible. When the path from action to result is visible, team members naturally adjust what they do to hit the goal. You model this in your decisions and conversations. ONE leader showing alignment consistently influences the entire team without forcing it.
Cohesion will happen. Team leadership is like a formula: common vision plus collective responsibility. You make the vision clear. You step into frustrations and influence it. You ask questions that push people to take on more responsibility for the vision. You model accountability. Over time, the team becomes more effective because ONE leader showed what leadership can look like.
Do you know how long it takes to change perception? About three months. Because perception is tied to trust and leadership is relational, I’m often surprised by how quickly it can shift. It begins with a single conversation. One person responds differently. Another notices. Then another. Just like a drop of green dye in clear water, the influence of ONE leader begins to spread through the team. Your leadership shapes how others lead.
Your team will begin to be more effective. Clarity emerges. Alignment strengthens. Cohesion forms. All because ONE leader decided to lead differently.
Sometimes being the ONE leader feels lonely. I’ve felt that too, that is why we need support. At Warrick, this is what we do. We help ONE leader begin. ONE leader gets clear. ONE leader drives alignment. ONE leader helps others step fully into their roles. It starts with that ONE leader developing how they influence their team.
Here’s the important question: Are you that ONE leader?
