Think building a high-performance team means you have to do everything yourself? Laura Martin is here to shatter that myth. The secret isn’t working harder as a leader – it’s getting your team leverage their strengths in ways you probably haven’t considered.
Laura Martin, co-founder and CEO of The Glinda Group, joins the podcast to share her hard-won insights from leading teams in operations, HR, and beyond. She breaks down the foundational steps every leader should take when stepping into a new team, plus the crucial mistake she made early in her career that taught her when to stop seeking consensus and start making decisions.
This conversation dives deep into practical strategies for creating team accountability, establishing norms that actually stick, and addressing those tricky behavioral issues that many leaders avoid. Laura explains why “clear is kind” and how team culture becomes everyone’s responsibility, not just the leader’s burden to carry.
Whether you’re walking into an established team or building one from scratch, Laura’s approach will help you create an environment where people bring their best work because they genuinely care about the outcome.
Key Highlights
- The “conform before you deviate” principle: Take 60 days to learn before making changes, focusing first on understanding your people, not just their work
- Two magic questions for new leaders: “What’s one thing you love that you don’t want me to mess up?” and “If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change?”
- The consensus trap: Laura’s biggest leadership mistake was sitting too long in discussions hoping for agreement, creating uncertainty and anxiety for her team
- “Queen bee” moment: Sometimes you have to make the call and move forward—teams are often relieved when you do
- Everyone contributes to team culture: Look for team members who can captain recognition, communication, or team building instead of doing it all yourself
- Status vs. recognition: Recognition says, “good job,” but status says “you’re our Swiss Army knife—this is why we need you”
- The problem-solving filter: Ask “Is this something we need to solve or something we’re going to live with?” to stop teams from “admiring the problem”
- Above the line, below the line: Use this framework to help teams recognize when they’re being negative and unproductive
- Behavioral feedback that works: Focus on “this is what I experienced” rather than “you have a terrible attitude”
- Team norms done right: Create collective agreements on how to win together, like “get curious before you get critical”
Resources/Links Mentioned
- Above the Line, Below the Line video (Google search) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJN6drBs62A
- The Glinda Group: glindagroup.com
- Laura Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraemartin1/
Guest Bio
Laura Martin is an expert in workplace culture and leadership. As the co-founder and CEO of The Glinda Group, she helps organizations create engaged, high-performing teams using insights from behavioral science. A former Chief Human Resources Officer and business leader, Laura is passionate about helping companies build cultures where people thrive—and where success follows.