Most People Problems Are Leadership Problems – Sel Watts on Building Teams That Work

What if the real reason your team isn't thriving isn't them—it's you? In this episode, Ashok sits down with Sel Watts, founder of Wattsnext and a trusted advisor to growth-stage executives, to talk about the blind spots that derail team performance. Sel shares why leaders often overengineer HR systems while neglecting the basic needs of their people—and why getting back to the fundamentals starts with brutal self-honesty. They explore why traditional job descriptions are outdated, how to rethink role clarity using "outcome profiles," and why consistency beats charisma when it comes to leadership. Sel also shares candid stories from the field—including one about a CEO who had zero emotional intelligence but ran a surprisingly stable company—and explains how tools like behavioral profiling can be powerful when used correctly (and not just shelved after a team offsite). Inside the episode Why leadership starts with self-awareness, not structure The "outcome profile" approach to defining roles clearly How to tell if someone's actually underperforming—or just misaligned What happens when leaders care more about process than people The surprising upsides of being consistent, even if you're not "warm" Why behavioral profiling tools are often wasted One-on-ones, All Hands, and rituals that only work when leaders believe in them Rethinking hiring decisions by starting with the org chart, not the title The cost of skipping reflection before replacing a team member A real-world example of a team where mutual accountability actually works   Mentioned in this episode Wattsnextpx - https://www.wattsnextpx.com Extended DISC - https://www.extendeddisc.org/ AcuMax - https://www.acumaxindex.com/ Myers-Briggs - https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/Myers-Briggs Predictive Index - https://www.predictiveindex.com/ Entrepreneurs' Organisation (EO) - https://eonetwork.org/ Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence