House of Cards: When Tech Teams Lose Trust
Situation (Assess)
In House of Cards, power depends on perception and once trust fractures, the whole thing collapses. Same goes for your tech team. You might have top talent, but if there’s low trust, high turnover, or backchannel resentment, innovation dies in silence.
Habits (Identify)
CTOs and CIOs sometimes over-index on outcomes and underinvest in relationships. You reward delivery but ignore dysfunction. Your standups are quiet. Your skip-level meetings are superficial. And you’ve got one or two toxic high performers that no one wants to confront.
Insights (Empathize)
Technical teams don’t always speak up. They’ll stay heads-down, disengage quietly, and walk when they find a better culture. Leadership isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about making it safe to be honest and real. Trust is your most valuable architecture.
Formulation (Solve)
Apply the SHIFT Matrix like a relational debugger:
S – Situation: Map team dynamics. Who talks in meetings? Who doesn’t? Who owns what? Where’s tension simmering?
H – Habits: Track how often praise, recognition, or real feedback show up. Are you only showing up when something breaks?
I – Insights: Ask your team anonymously: “What would make this a place where you could do the best work of your life?” Then actually listen.
F – Formulation: Build rituals of recognition and repair. Introduce regular feedback loops. Don’t just hire for skill—develop for trust.
T – Transformation: Move from high-functioning to high-trust. Create a culture where it’s safe to speak, safe to fail, and safe to succeed without politics.
Transformation (Results)
Loyal, aligned teams who innovate because they want to—not just because they’re paid to. That’s the difference between retention and reinvention.
