10 Mornings to go - Trust the Team

As pressure increases, this episode explores why stepping back, allowing people to do the jobs they are prepared for, and resisting over-control often leads to stronger outcomes.

10 mornings to go, “Trust the Team”, recognising that trust is already present — and that good leadership sometimes means getting out of the way.

What is 30 Winter Mornings?

About 30 Winter Mornings

30 Winter Mornings is a short daily podcast for people who deliver complex live events.

Each episode is a ten-minute morning reflection that offers perspective, reassurance, and calm during the most demanding phase of delivery. Drawing on decades of experience in large-scale events, the podcast focuses not on the event itself, but on the people behind it, the professionals who carry responsibility, make decisions under pressure, and keep showing up.

This is not a training programme or a motivational series.
It’s a daily check-in.
A moment of company before the day begins.

Christiaan PAGE: 00:02

Good morning. I'm Christiaan Page, and welcome to 30 Winter Mornings. This is a short daily podcast for professionals delivering complex live events. And over the next thirty mornings, we'll be counting down to the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Each morning, we take a few minutes to slow things down, to find perspective, reassurance, and calm during the most demanding phase of the delivery.

Christiaan PAGE: 00:24

This isn't training. It's not motivational. It's a daily check-in, a moment of company before your day begins. Ten mornings to go. It's like the countdown for the launch of the biggest rocket going into space.

Christiaan PAGE: 00:39

No. This is the countdown to the opening ceremony. So ten mornings to go. As delivery enters its final stretch, subtle shift needs to happen. Leaders who have been closely involved now need to create some space.

Christiaan PAGE: 00:56

And it's not because we care less or they care less, but it's because the team is ready. And there's a well known story from the world of orchestral performance that I feel captures this idea beautifully. A conductor once described his role not as directing every note, but as creating the conditions where musicians could listen to one another. So when that happens, the performance doesn't weaken. It strengthens.

Christiaan PAGE: 01:30

And if you ever listened to a an or piece of orchestral music live and hearing an orchestra come together, it's it's an amazing experience. And that's what we're doing. We're conducting and bringing this together all to deliver what will be an amazing event. So in complex delivery, the same principle applies. So at this stage, teams don't need necessarily more instruction.

Christiaan PAGE: 02:02

They need trust. They need your trust. And hovering creates noise. It's second guessing can erode that confidence that has been built in the teams. And then as they've developed their own skills and understanding of what they have to do.

Christiaan PAGE: 02:21

And this is where late intervention often solves the wrong problem. Trust, on the other hand, it creates flow. So before the day takes shape, let's pause for our check-in. So where might stepping back today create better performance? So a team that knows its role, a team that knows what it's gotta do, step back.

Christiaan PAGE: 02:51

Maybe decisions have already been made, and we've talked a lot about decisions because every day is about decisions, decision, decision. So maybe you've already made that decision. Maybe it's a process that's working. Do you need to step in or involve be involved and hover and make that work? Just let it run would be my suggestion.

Christiaan PAGE: 03:14

Second, where might your presence be unintentionally unintentionally disrupting the rhythm? And I'm not suggesting that's through intentional. You're not trying to cause disruption, but just by being close to proximity. And sometimes as leaders, our presence can be disruptive. So maybe this is where your awareness really matters and paying attention to that listening.

Christiaan PAGE: 03:45

Third, how can you show trust without disengaging? This isn't about not caring. So perhaps it's a quiet check-in, one on one. Just, hey. How are you doing?

Christiaan PAGE: 03:58

I see you're doing a great job. Just that quiet reinforcement. A clear boundary. Again, boundaries are really important and respecting people's boundaries, saying, someone says, I've got this. I've got this.

Christiaan PAGE: 04:13

Let them do it. And maybe it's just a visible vote of confidence, something simple. And that can be communicated through not necessarily group chats, but maybe it's just a note on a big whiteboard in the middle of the room. Something visible, but something simple and a vote of confidence. We've got this.

Christiaan PAGE: 04:36

So trust doesn't mean absence. It just means belief. And at this point in the delivery, leadership is a bit about a bit about restraint and just trust the team. So wherever you are, stay safe, stay healthy, and bye for now. 30 Window Mornings is a legacy group project produced and presented by myself, Christiaan Page.

Christiaan PAGE: 05:02

This podcast is recorded on the shores of Lac Leman , also known as Lake Geneva, in Lausanne, the Olympic capital, in the Canton Of Vaud, Switzerland.