Black Oak Strategies

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Black Oak Strategies Coaching/Consulting- Focused on core business strategies to optimize business and professional growth

Most managers think they do check-ins. Most of them do one of these instead:1. A task review. "Where are we on the plano...
10/13/2026

Most managers think they do check-ins. Most of them do one of these instead:

1. A task review. "Where are we on the planogram?" isn't a check-in.
2. Only checking in with the stars. Your disengaged people need it most.
3. Talking more than listening. Aim for 30/70: you talk 30%, they talk 70%.
4. Making it feel like an evaluation. If they brace for it, it isn't working.

Fix one this week. Your team will notice.

On Friday I said to stop using the feedback sandwich. Here's what to use instead. It's called SBI.S, Situation: name the...
10/12/2026

On Friday I said to stop using the feedback sandwich. Here's what to use instead. It's called SBI.

S, Situation: name the specific time and place.
"Yesterday, during the 2pm rush..."

B, Behavior: say what you saw or heard. Facts only, no labels.
"You stepped away from the register twice to check your phone while customers were waiting."

I, Impact: say what it caused.
"The line backed up and two customers left without buying."

Then agree on the next step. SBI works for praise too. Use the same three parts, and people learn exactly what to repeat.

I put SBI on one page, with real store examples and four rules for feedback that works. It's free. Sign up at blackoakstrategies.com and it goes straight to your inbox.

Save this for your next one-on-one.

Stop using the feedback sandwich.Praise, criticism, praise sounds kind. In practice it teaches people to ignore the midd...
10/09/2026

Stop using the feedback sandwich.

Praise, criticism, praise sounds kind. In practice it teaches people to ignore the middle. They hear the compliments, miss the point, and the problem stays.

Try this instead: say what happened, say why it mattered, and ask what they'll do next time. Specific is not harsh. It's respect.

Share this with a manager who still serves the sandwich.

"A two-week-old issue isn't feedback. It's a grievance."The longer you wait, the more it sounds like a list of complaint...
10/07/2026

"A two-week-old issue isn't feedback. It's a grievance."

The longer you wait, the more it sounds like a list of complaints instead of help. The rule I use: say it within 24 hours, in private, about one specific thing they did.

Save this for the next time you're tempted to wait.

You’ve been in the meeting where everyone agrees. The plan sounds solid. The team nods. You move forward. Three weeks la...
07/17/2026

You’ve been in the meeting where everyone agrees.

The plan sounds solid. The team nods. You move forward.

Three weeks later you find out two people in that room already knew something that would have changed the direction — and never said it.

Not because they didn’t care. Because the room didn’t create space for it.

Collaboration isn’t about getting people together. It’s about what happens once they are. Whether people feel safe enough to push back. Whether honest feedback actually flows. Whether different perspectives make it into the room before the decision gets made.

The best collaborative leaders don’t just run better meetings.

They build the conditions where the truth gets said before it’s too late to use it.

blackoakstrategies.com

The moment someone gets promoted, everything changes — except their training. One day they're the best on the team. The ...
07/15/2026

The moment someone gets promoted, everything changes — except their training.

One day they're the best on the team. The next day they're responsible for the team.

The skills that earned the promotion are almost entirely different from the skills that make someone effective in the role they just stepped into.

I've watched this play out hundreds of times over 30 years. Talented, committed people struggling in ways they didn't expect — because they were handed a title, but not a framework for how to lead.

The ones who figure it out fastest invest in the skills leadership actually requires — before circumstances force them to learn the hard way.

Getting the title is the easy part. Knowing what to do with it is where the real work starts.

blackoakstrategies.com

I've watched leaders respond to the same failure in two completely different ways. One explained it. One owned it. The s...
07/14/2026

I've watched leaders respond to the same failure in two completely different ways.
One explained it. One owned it.

The second one said: that happened on my watch. What do I do differently from here?

Ownership isn't about blame. It's about deciding the outcome belongs to you — and that you're the one who determines what comes next.

After 30 years, I've never seen a team outperform its leader's willingness to own the result.

blackoakstrategies.com

Early in my career, I had a manager who directed everything. Her team never developed beyond what she needed them to do ...
07/08/2026

Early in my career, I had a manager who directed everything. Her team never developed beyond what she needed them to do right now.

I also had a manager who coached. He asked questions before giving answers. His team went on to lead teams of their own.

The difference between managing and coaching is not a technique. It's a philosophy about what leadership is actually for.

The Coaching guide covers feedback that changes behavior, skill development, and mentoring that shapes careers.

24 pages. $19.99.

Find the full series here → www.blackoakstrategies.etsy.com

Every leadership skill you will ever develop rests on three things. Knowing yourself. Building trust. Leading with empat...
07/06/2026

Every leadership skill you will ever develop rests on three things.

Knowing yourself. Building trust. Leading with empathy.

The Foundation Bundle — three guides, 72 pages — is where the Black Oak Strategies Leadership Competency Series begins.

Self-Awareness. Building Trust. Empathy.

$39.99. Save $20. Instant download.

Find the full series here → www.blackoakstrategies.etsy.com

The single most consequential variable in a leader's outcomes is not vision, charisma, or work ethic. It's the quality o...
07/06/2026

The single most consequential variable in a leader's outcomes is not vision, charisma, or work ethic.

It's the quality of their decisions.

After 30 years in leadership, decision-making is the competency I'd invest in first if I were starting over.

The Decision Making guide covers how to decide under uncertainty without paralysis, involve the right people, and build a team that gets better at judgment.

24 pages. $19.99.

Find the full series here → www.blackoakstrategies.etsy.com

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Lagrange, OH
44050

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