Lee Povey

06/06/2026

06/02/2026

Arizona was down 7 points at halftime in the Elite Eight, and their first Final Four appearance in 25 years was starting to slip away.

You can imagine the locker room in that moment: heavy breathing, sweaty jerseys, coaches flipping through clipboards, and that thick tension that sits in the air when everyone knows the stakes are high. This is usually when the coach steps in with the big speech.

Every instinct in a coach’s body says: do something, say something, fix this. An emotional experience I know well!

Instead, Coach Tommy Lloyd walked into the locker room, looked at his team, and said, “Guys, the coaching staff and I are going to leave right now. You guys figure this deal out.” And then he walked out.

Now, if you’re a leader, a parent, a coach, or anyone responsible for other human beings, there’s a good chance that decision makes you feel pretty uncomfortable. Because walking out in a big moment can feel irresponsible. It can feel like you’re not doing your job.

Yet sometimes the most powerful leadership move is stepping back.

What happened next is the veteran players steadied the room, reminded the younger players they’d been through tough games before, and helped everyone reset emotionally.

And in the second half, Arizona dominated.

Leadership is built in practice, in conversations, in the daily standards you set, and in the way you respond to mistakes. And then, when the moment comes, trusting people to use what they’ve learned.

This is where many leaders get stuck. When pressure rises, the instinct is to grab the wheel tighter. It feels responsible and like leadership. Yet often, it sends a very different message: "I don’t think you can handle this without me."

Great leaders' job is to build people who can handle the moment. They step forward, solve problems, and hold each other accountable. They lead.

Here’s the paradox: The more you trust people, the more capable they become. The more capable they become, the less they need you in the moment.

Sometimes the best coaching move is to step back and give your team the room to step up.

06/01/2026

Why does advice from a stranger work when your partner says the exact same thing and gets ignored?

When feedback comes from a partner, a parent, or a close peer, the brain translates it through a filter of personal validation. Instead of hearing the structural advice, they hear:

"I’m disappointed in you."
"You aren't doing well enough."
"You are letting me down."

As a high-performance leadership coach, I don't get through to people because I’m smarter or because I know them better than you do. (In fact, I usually know them far less!)

I get through because my voice comes from outside the emotional circle. It lands as a strategic suggestion rather than an emotional judgment. It lands lighter. It creates space to actually execute.

👇 Want to make your feedback land effectively? I’ve put together a completely free guide on delivering world-class, encouraging feedback that drives performance without triggering defenses.

Just drop "Feedback" below and my team will send it over.

And if you're ready to step outside the echo chamber and unlock your own blind spots with an outside perspective, let’s talk.

🔗 Click the link to book a free initial consultation call with me: https://calendly.com/lee-povey/free-initial-consultation

05/27/2026

We are playing the finite game in an infinite world.

Sara and I just got back from Japan, and it forced me to confront a truth about our Western culture of "success."

In the West, we are conditioned to chase the "American Dream"—a game where making money is the primary goal, and being good at what you do is just a byproduct of that pursuit. We focus on the transaction. We focus on the "finite."

In Japan, I saw the opposite.

I met people from Michelin-star chefs to retail staff who operate with a philosophy of Excellence first. To them, making money isn’t the goal; it’s the byproduct of taking immense pride in their craft and being of service to others.

As someone on the autism spectrum, I’ve always been drawn to systems that work. Japan showed me a system of fulfillment that we are missing here:

👉 Collectivism over Individualism: "What can we create together?"
👉 The Infinite Game: Realizing there is enough for everyone to succeed.
👉 Service over Transaction: Doing the work because it’s worth doing well.

If you’ve reached the "top" only to feel successful yet unfulfilled, you might just be playing the wrong game.

I’ve broken down these reflections and how we can shift our mindset toward purpose-driven success in my latest video.

Watch the full breakdown here:

We’ve been told the American Dream is the ultimate goal. Yet after my time in Japan, I realized we’re actually playing the wrong game... After returning from...

05/25/2026

I was running one of my men’s groups the other night, and the conversation landed on a topic that shapes so many of our relationships at home, at work, and within teams. We started talking about listening.

And it struck us how hard that is for most of us.

Because when someone we care about is struggling, frustrated, or upset, something inside us springs into action. We want to help. We want to be useful. We want to make things better. So we jump in with advice.

It feels like the right thing to do. It feels responsible. It feels like leadership.

And yet, almost every man in that room had experienced the other side of it, the moment when you just needed to vent, to get something off your chest, and someone stepped in too soon with answers. You weren’t finished speaking, and the conversation had already moved on to problem-solving. You walked away thinking, They didn’t really hear me.

That realization landed in the room.

Listening, truly listening, is one of the most loving ways we can show up for another human being. It’s an intentional act of care.

Real listening asks something different of us. It asks us to sit with that discomfort. To trust that the person in front of us is capable of finding their own answers if we give them the time and space to think.

There’s also something fascinating that happens when people are allowed to talk without interruption. The emotional, reactive part of their brain gets to speak first. It gets to vent. It gets to release pressure. And as they hear themselves out loud, the calmer, more logical part of their mind begins to come online.

Things aren’t as bad as they first felt.

That night in the group, one of the men said something that stuck with me. He said, “When someone listens to me without trying to fix me, I feel respected. I feel capable. I feel trusted.”

That’s the power of listening.

So the next time someone comes to you frustrated, overwhelmed, or upset, try something different. Give them the space to process what they’re experiencing, ask clarifying questions, and don’t give advice!

You might find that your presence, not your solution, is what helps them most.

Yours in Leadership,
Lee Povey

05/20/2026

Let people make mistakes. 🛑

It feels like you’re helping when you step in to fix a mistake, yet you’re actually doing something else: You’re stealing the lesson.

In today's newsletter, I explore why doing nothing is often the hardest (and most important!) part of leadership.

You can read the full article below: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/courage-let-people-make-mistakes-lee-povey-ph9lc

05/18/2026

“I think I’m getting fired.”

That’s what people start believing when leaders avoid feedback.

One of the biggest issues I see inside organizations is not harsh feedback; it’s a complete lack of clarity. And when people don’t know where they stand, they start creating stories to fill the gap (usually negative ones).

Strong leadership creates clarity early, consistently, and directly.

This is from Episode 026 of The Founders Catalyst Podcast: Nobody Should Be Fired by Surprise: Feedback That Builds Culture.

Watch the full episode in the comments.

05/14/2026

A leader who cannot publicly own a mistake creates a culture where people learn to hide theirs.

The highest-performing teams I’ve worked with are built on accountability, trust, and the ability to learn quickly when something goes wrong.

And that starts with their LEADERS.

This is from our latest YouTube episode on The Founders Catalyst Podcast. You can click the link in the captions to watch the full episode! ⬇️

05/11/2026

Motherhood is one of the most demanding leadership roles there is!

There are no clear boundaries between work and life, no off switch, and no perfect playbook to follow. It requires constant decision-making, emotional awareness, patience, and the ability to show up for others, even on the days when your own energy is low.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with a number of exceptional leaders who are also mothers. Founders, executives, and operators who are building businesses and leading teams, while raising their families.

What has always stood out to me is not just their capability, it’s the consistency in how they show up across both worlds.

They make decisions under pressure. They navigate competing priorities with grace and care for all. And as leaders, they excel in creating environments where others can grow.

They do it with a level of care and responsibility that has deeply influenced how I think about leadership. I’ve learned a lot from the mothers I’ve coached, especially when it comes to emotional intelligence, resilience, and setting boundaries in a way that still maintains connection.

And of course, a big part of that learning started much earlier. My own mum, Lin Povey, played a huge role in shaping how I see the world and how I show up in it. Her strength, consistency, and care set a standard that I continue to learn from.

Mother's Day is a good reminder to acknowledge that impact. To all the mothers leading in their families, their businesses, and their communities, thank you.

The work you do matters more than is often recognized.

05/11/2026

Motherhood is one of the most demanding leadership roles there is!

There are no clear boundaries between work and life, no off switch, and no perfect playbook to follow. It requires constant decision-making, emotional awareness, patience, and the ability to show up for others, even on the days when your own energy is low.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with a number of exceptional leaders who are also mothers. Founders, executives, and operators who are building businesses and leading teams, while raising their families.
What has always stood out to me is not just their capability, it’s the consistency in how they show up across both worlds.

They make decisions under pressure. They navigate competing priorities with grace and care for all. And as leaders, they excel in creating environments where others can grow.

They do it with a level of care and responsibility that has deeply influenced how I think about leadership. I’ve learned a lot from the mothers I’ve coached, especially when it comes to emotional intelligence, resilience, and setting boundaries in a way that still maintains connection.

And of course, a big part of that learning started much earlier. My own mum played a huge role in shaping how I see the world and how I show up in it. Her strength, consistency, and care set a standard that I continue to learn from.

Today is a good reminder to acknowledge that impact. To all the mothers leading in their families, their businesses, and their communities, thank you.

The work you do matters more than is often recognized.