RONism #8 “The team’s in the locker room right now, but they'll come out and meet the press.

It’s one of my favorite metaphors for leadership and team dynamics.

Because sometimes, you need space behind closed doors—to hash it out, disagree, clarify, align. That’s not dysfunction. That’s the work.

Every team has moments where opinions differ. Where people see things through different lenses. That’s not just normal—it’s healthy. But the key is this:

Sort it out in the locker room, not in front of the client.
Disagree in private, align in public.
Don’t let a teammate get blindsided at the press conference.

Strong teams don’t pretend to agree on everything. They create space for the hard conversations before stepping into the room with a partner or stakeholder.

Because the only thing worse than disagreement… is surprise.

So get in the locker room. Talk it out.
Then step onto the field as one team—with shared awareness, even if not perfect agreement.

That’s what builds trust. That’s what earns respect.
And that’s what makes teammates want to play for each other.

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RONism # 7 Is this an “our chocolate to your peanut butter” kind of situation?