32: The Human Cost of Finding Your Leadership Style

Ever think about the human cost of leadership development? Those first teams you lead are really the guinea pigs for your trial-and-error experiments in figuring out what kind of leader you’ll become. I know this firsthand. At 27, I jumped into my first head coaching role with big ideas—new offense, new defense, new culture, new handbook—without really knowing what I was doing. My players became part of my leadership lab while their scholarships and college experiences were on the line.That’s the reality for every new leader: the shift from theory to practice is humbling. The people you’re leading don’t see your growth curve; they only know you as the one in charge. You quickly learn that leadership isn’t magic math where “two plus two equals a thousand.” It’s closer to throwing ingredients into a cauldron and hoping you find a combination that actually works.This episode of Five with Fry is about recognizing those first teams—the ones who stuck with you through the experiments, mistakes, and growing pains. They shaped your leadership more than you realize, and they deserve your thanks.