December 9, 2025 - Stop Giving Tasks. Define the "Success Sandbox" for 2026

Stop Giving Tasks. Define the "Success Sandbox" for 2026.
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Your Weekly "Segment of One"

Hi Friend


Welcome to your weekly dose of personal and career fuel!





It’s planning season. As leaders, our instinct is often to hand down precise tasks and solutions. But this approach kills motivation and limits ingenuity. This week, we're challenging that habit.


Let's get started.


This week's action:






For one major 2026 objective, define the 'Success Sandbox.' Outline the non-negotiable boundaries (Timeline, Budget, Ultimate Metric, and Key Non-Negotiables). Your action is to present only these boundaries to your team, and then challenge them to collectively define the top 3 projects they believe will most effectively hit the target within those constraints.

Why this matters:

Handing down a task list is managerial; defining the boundaries and outcome is leadership. When you define the "Success Sandbox," you achieve two crucial things:

  1. Effectiveness: You maintain control over the resources (budget, timeline) and the ultimate result (the metric). This ensures the objective aligns with the organization's strategic needs.

  2. Motivation: You create instant ownership. Your team now owns the solution and the method, not just the assignment. This promotes creativity, problem-solving, and drastically increases buy-in, making your team far more effective. People thrive when they have autonomy within a clear structure.




Where to start? Setting Your Sandbox Rules:

  • Boundary 1: The Result. What is the non-negotiable metric? (e.g., "Reduce customer churn by 15%," not "Call 50 customers.")

  • Boundary 2: The Timeline. What date is the absolute hard stop for this result?

  • Boundary 3: The Resources. What is the hard budget or headcount dedicated to this objective?

  • The Challenge: Ask your team: "Given these boundaries, what is the most inventive, effective, and efficient way you believe we should solve this problem and achieve this goal?"

Like what you’ve read?











The difficulty in this exercise often lies in a leader's ability to truly let go of the "how." Shifting from the comfort of control to the power of trust is a fundamental pivot in leadership maturity. When you're ready to build the confidence and structure to lead your team this way, let's connect:

Do you know your Professional Superpower?

Ever wonder what your unique professional gifts are? We all have natural talents that make us shine, but sometimes they're so innate, we don't even recognize them as "superpowers." Take this quick quiz to discover what makes you professionally powerful and how you can leverage it for greater career satisfaction and success!

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December 2, 2025 - Don't Let Your Best Ideas Die in the "Graveyard.