The Practices for Progress

The Practices for Progress describe the intentional actions leaders take to generate meaningful progress. They are not idealized behaviors or abstract theories. Designed for real conditions, these practices help leaders act with what they have, right where they are. They don’t rely on perfect alignment, full authority, or ideal culture. Grounded in pragmatism and progress over perfection, each practice is designed to activate people, harness potential, and turn intent into contribution.

The Practices for Progress are what leaders can directly influence. They help teams act when information is incomplete, when systems are slow, or when energy is fragile.  They are teachable, learnable, and scalable. Equally relevant for frontline leaders and senior executives. And when applied consistently, they become cultural signals that shape how progress happens across the organization.

Each practice can be applied on its own, but their real strength comes in combination. They reinforce one another, shaping how teams make sense of their context, where they place their focus, how they enable one another, how they stay energized, and how they align with the system around them.

The Practices for Progress are:

• Declutter Uncertainty, which helps teams make sense and act with confidence
• Prioritize What Matters, which protects attention and energy for what truly drives progress
• Unlock Potential, which enables contribution, shares ownership, and scales momentum
• Sustain The Drive, which keeps progress emotionally and practically sustainable
• Bridge The System, which connects teams and strengthens the loop between action and structure

In times of uncertainty, progress begins with orientation. Leaders help others make sense of what’s happening, define what matters now, and turn that understanding into immediate next steps. It’s not about having the full map. It’s about reaching the next waypoint while anticipating what might change along the way. Progress is shaped through action: sensing, adjusting, and deciding m. The goal is to reduce ambiguity, not complexity so that people can act with confidence, even if the conditions shift.

Momentum is part of the work. Leaders lower the threshold to act by making early steps clear, achievable, and low-risk. They help people move forward without overthinking, turning insight into action (actionable insights). Small, visible progress builds confidence, generates feedback, and unlocks further action.

Progress depends on attention and attention is limited. Leaders create momentum by making deliberate choices about what deserves time, energy, and capacity. It means drawing clear lines between critical, optional, and distracting. Leaders need to protect focus. That means eliminating noise, shielding teams from overload, and setting boundaries that preserve space for uninterrupted work.  It’s the discipline to return to what matters, again and again, even under pressure. 

Progress also requires execution. Leaders translate priorities into performance by setting pace, managing scope, and reinforcing follow-through. They hold the line through rhythm, accountability, and shared standards of excellence. Progress depends on priority. When everything is important, nothing moves.

This practice is about growing people, sharing ownership, and designing work in ways that build momentum beyond a single individual and the team itself. This practice focuses on developing capability into ability: supporting learning, encouraging experimentation, and creating space to discover something new – new skills, new ideas, new processes.

It also means distributing authority. Leaders multiply impact by shifting decisions closer to where the action is. This doesn’t mean stepping back entirely but providing enough guidance and competence so others can move forward without constant oversight. Designing clear guardrails through clear rules and processes, established standards, simple decision frameworks, and shared expectations give teams the confidence to act efficiently and take on individual responsibility. 

Leaders don’t scale progress by doing more themselves. They scale it by enabling others to contribute at their best. When teams are trusted, supported, and equipped, progress becomes self-reinforcing and can emerge organically everywhere within the team.

This practice is about making progress feel worthwhile and energizing people to sustain their contribution over time. It focuses on the emotional and environmental aspects that fuel commitment and keep people engaged in their work. It’s about reinforcing the belief that progress is possible, that their contributions matter, and that the team is capable of moving forward.

Motivation is driven by meaningfulness, recognition, and a sense of belonging and pride. Leaders motivate by acknowledging progress and rewarding outcomes. Energy is maintained through rhythm, care, and a work environment that supports, not drains, those doing the work. Energizing also means protecting people from cynicism, apathy, or quiet disengagement. Leaders do this by taking emotional tone seriously: addressing doubt, naming tension, and affirming and recognizing progress no matter how small.

This practice also includes the physical and digital work space. Whilst this is to a degree in dependency to the Conditions for Progress, leaders still have the possibility and responsibility to influence the environment for their team in a positive way: Tools, systems, and spaces should support the delivery of results.

This practice is about building the connective tissue between the team, the wider organization and the external context. It requires clear upward communication, thoughtful downward translation, and the courage to escalate when conditions block progress. Leaders who bridge the system help their teams manage different internal and external stakeholder needs, navigate cross-functional dependencies and stay aligned within the bigger picture of the organization.

Leaders and their teams operate within systems that shape, and often constrain, what they can achieve. Leaders act as translators. They make organizational challenges visible. They also bring forward what their teams are experiencing (frictions, patterns, needs) so that the organization can learn and respond. When done well, it is not disruption: It’s a contribution. It strengthens the feedback loop between action and structure, helping the organization improve the Conditions for Progress.