Reboot Podcast Episode Wisdom for Work #29 – Frameworks for Leading & Managing People

The Reboot podcast showcases the heart and soul, the wins and losses, the ups and downs of startup leadership. On the show, Entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and Startup Leaders discuss with Jerry Colonna the emotional and psychological challenges they face daily as leaders.

Wisdom for Work #29 // June 20, 2025

Guests

Ali Schultz

Ali Schultz

Reboot Co-founder, Author & Coach

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Ray Foote

Ray Foote

Coach & Faciltiator

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Episode Description

In times of rapid change and growing complexity, how we collaborate and the frameworks we employ can determine whether our teams thrive or falter. In this episode, Ali Schultz and fellow coach Ray Foote discuss the intentional structures that help teams flourish. Together, they illuminate not just the tools available for guiding group dynamics, but also the subtle, often unconscious patterns that govern our relationships at work.

The duo explores the power of establishing group norms, surfacing unspoken behaviors, and making the unconscious conscious. They highlight the transformative power of cultivating honesty, naming what’s true, and leaning into crucial conversations. These practices don’t just make teams more effective—they foster workplaces where creativity, innovation, and genuine connection can take root.

Helpful links:

9 Frameworks for Leading and Managing People

Understanding a Team’s Natural Development Process: The Tuckman Team Development Model

 I-We-It: A Framework To Have One Conversation at a Time 

Show Highlights

Memorable Quotes:

“What movie am I seeing, and how is that different than the movie that you’re watching? And to the degree that we can actually talk about that and become more aligned.” – Ray Foote

“And I think the magic move at the O stage of OFNR, and you and I have talked about this, is that it’s almost like there’s a sub-O in the OFNR. could be O-O-F-N-R, which is I’m owning my projection right there. Because I’m saying, I’m seeing this, but the other thing that I get people to talk to is, what’s this story I’m telling myself about this? What is that movie that I’m creating in my head around this thing that I’m seeing?” – Ali Schultz

“How do we cultivate more trust? The formula that has really worked for me is this, the combination of sincerity, competency, and consistency.” – Ray Foote

“I think so many of these frameworks lend themselves to that practice in groups. It’s like, let’s just name what’s here and lean in. And sometimes, honestly, like that kind of a reveal, like just naming what’s here is the hardest, the hardest lift.” – Ali Schultz

“There are three ways to do crucial conversations. You can have them, and they go well. You can have them and they go poorly, or you can just not have them.” – Ray Foote

“There are only two moves in a conversation, and that’s advocacy or inquiry. So when you have two people who are advocating for something, it’s gonna bounce off each other. So one person has to turn to inquiry, to try to find out, what is it that you’re trying to accomplish here?” – Ray Foote

“The real intention behind this from where I see it is that we’re building our, we’re building our capacity to be efficient. Because the more aligned we are, the more we’re watching the same movies as a team, the more efficient we’re going to be able to play.” – Ray Foote

“In the practice field of work, the more we can lean into these things and have these conversations and realize that we survive, if not thrive, you know, just getting over that initial fear threshold, it becomes easier. You know, that muscle gets flexed and then our ability to play the jazz, you know, on our team and…Speak up, be clear, be honest. It creates a kind of air or a feeling in the culture where it’s more, not just safe, but it’s like that’s where the creativity is gonna happen, because we feel safe. That’s where more innovation is gonna happen, because there’s more creativity present. Everyone’s gonna feel better about their job, less tension, less dysfunction. So there’s a lot of individual growth, team growth, that really supports organizational success, I think, in so many of these frameworks.” – Ali Schultz