The Fastest Leadership Test You'll Ever Take

The Power of "I" vs. "We"

You can learn a lot about an executive in a five-minute conversation.

Not by their title.

Not by their resume.

Not by the size of the company they lead.

Listen to one thing:

How often they say "I" versus "we."

It's one of the fastest indicators I've found of whether someone is building an organization—or simply building themselves.

Every Success Has More Than One Author

I've had the privilege of sitting in boardrooms, startups, Fortune 500 organizations, and founder-led businesses. I've worked alongside CEOs, CROs, CMOs, founders, and executive teams across nearly every stage of growth.

One pattern has become impossible to ignore.

The strongest leaders almost never make themselves the hero of the story.

When discussing wins, they naturally say things like:

• "Our team identified the opportunity."

• "We worked through that challenge."

• "Marketing and Sales solved it together."

• "The organization made a big shift."

They understand something many leaders forget:

Organizations don't scale because of individual brilliance. They scale because of collective excellence.

The "I" Leader

This doesn't mean the word *I* is inherently wrong.

Executives should absolutely own mistakes.

In fact, some of the best leaders I've worked with say things like:

• "I missed that."

• "I should have communicated better."

• "I own that decision."

That's accountability.

Where the red flag appears is when every success belongs to "I."

• "I built..."

• "I landed..."

• "I created..."

• "I transformed..."

• "I closed..."

• "I made..."

Eventually you begin wondering...

Where was everyone else?

If an executive consistently tells stories where they're the only person contributing to every victory, it often reveals something deeper than communication style.

It reveals leadership philosophy.

Because great organizations are never built by one person.

The "We" Leader

The executives I respect most don't diminish their own contributions.

They simply recognize that leadership isn't about standing in front of the team.

It's about creating an environment where the team succeeds.

They celebrate engineers.

They recognize marketers.

They praise operations.

They elevate customer success.

They thank finance.

They acknowledge assistants, project managers, designers, SDRs, and everyone whose work made the outcome possible.

Ironically, those leaders earn even more credibility because of it.

Humility doesn't weaken executive presence.

It strengthens it.

Marketing Taught Me This Lesson Early

As a marketing leader, I've learned that no successful campaign belongs to marketing alone.

A great product matters.

Sales execution matters.

Customer success matters.

Operations matter.

Leadership matters.

Data matters.

Creative matters.

Timing matters.

If one piece breaks, the entire commercial engine feels it.

That's why I struggle when organizations celebrate individual departments instead of organizational outcomes.

Revenue is a team sport.

So is leadership.

Culture Is Built One Pronoun at a Time

Words become culture.

Culture becomes behavior.

Behavior becomes performance.

When leaders constantly position themselves as the center of success, teams slowly begin protecting individual achievements instead of pursuing shared outcomes.

Departments compete.

Credit becomes currency.

Politics replaces collaboration.

Innovation slows because people become more interested in ownership than impact.

But when leaders consistently speak in terms of *we*, something different happens.

People feel included.

People feel trusted.

People feel seen.

And those same people become willing to solve problems that aren't technically "their job."

That's where extraordinary organizations are built.

The Strongest Leaders Still Say "I"

Here's the nuance.

Healthy leaders know when to use both words.

They say "I" when accepting responsibility.

They say "we" when celebrating success.

That balance creates trust.

One demonstrates accountability.

The other demonstrates humility.

Together, they create credibility.

A Leadership Challenge

The next time you're in an executive meeting—or even listening to a podcast or keynote—pay attention.

Count the pronouns.

Does the leader spend most of their time talking about what they accomplished?

Or what the organization accomplished?

Neither word is inherently good or bad.

But over time, patterns reveal priorities.

And priorities shape culture.

If you want to build a business that outlasts any one individual, start with one simple shift.

Make your team the hero.

Because the best leaders don't create followers.

They create organizations where everyone wins together.