Maxwell Leadership Executive Podcast #385: Alertness: A Leadership Discipline You Can't Delegate
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Feb 26, 2026 They explore why alertness matters more than busyness and how missed signals quietly erode organizations. The conversation breaks down three types of alertness: self, organizational, and environmental. Practical practices include spotting team energy, carving margin for reflection, and a short weekly check-in to notice surprises and hidden assumptions.
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Missed Signals Cause Quiet Organizational Decline
- Problems in organizations rarely appear suddenly but signal early over time.
- Perry Holley observed that missed signals like culture erosion or quiet customer loss accumulate while leaders stay busy.
Exit Interview Revealed Three Hidden Reasons For Departure
- Perry Holley lost a key employee who left for a competitor and discovered three unnoticed issues during the exit interview.
- He realized he had been proud of his team relationship but blind to problems he hadn't asked about.
Practice Self Alertness With Reflective Questions
- Slow your thinking and build self-alertness by intentionally reflecting on your tendencies and mood.
- Chris Goede suggests asking questions like how your mood affects the team and where you default to autopilot to save yourself from poor judgments.