Doug Crandall:
Building or Diminishing

You've been on both sides. The conversation that left someone smaller than you found them. The one that gave a person their whole day back. Probably more than once.

Most of the time you didn't think much of either one. They did.

That's the invisible mark you leave on every person you lead. It shows up in whether your team takes risks or stays silent, brings you the truth or a polished version of it, grows under pressure or quietly comes apart inside it.

In his upcoming book Building or Diminishing, Doug Crandall names the pattern. Every interaction is either building or diminishing the people we lead. There is almost no neutral ground.

Doug is a former Army officer, longtime West Point instructor, and one of the most honest people I know on the question of who we actually are when no one is watching. All net proceeds from the new book go to Tunnel to Towers, the foundation supporting families of fallen first responders and military service members.

I'm bringing him to the Healthy Leader Expert Forum on May 14 at 11:00 AM ET to walk through the work the book is built around.

What we'll get into:

• The grid Doug uses to show how high expectations and the kind of communication that helps them land actually compound, instead of compete
• Why high standards delivered with pressure produce hesitance and burnout, not performance
• Reflect, Reset, Rewire. Doug's three-stage practice for noticing your defaults, choosing a different next move, and slowly becoming the leader you keep meaning to be

This is a working session. Bring the leader you've been thinking about.

Register Here https://www.thereferentgroup.com/conferences

If this resonates, Doug and his team at The Referent Group are also hosting their 2026 Leadership Conference June 3 and 4 in Bellevue. I'll be there. 

Lead well.
~ traci