What happens when you're a capable leader trapped in a challenging organizational culture?

How do you create value and showcase your team's worth when you're dealing with controlling stakeholders, chaotic planning processes, and an authoritarian leadership style that permeates the entire organization?

In this special solo episode of Team Lab, hosts Angela Migliaccio and Cori Caldwell unpack a real listener situation from ‘Holly*’, a senior director at a large software company navigating the complexities of a highly matrixed, high-pressure environment with challenging stakeholder dynamics.

This episode explores the systemic nature of workplace dysfunction, practical tools for building psychological safety, and strategies for creating positive change from within - even when you feel like "a small cog in an important wheel deep inside the machine."

*Names and details anonymized.

Two-by-Two Stakeholder Matrix: Map stakeholders by influence level and relationship quality to identify gaps.

"Walk in My Shoes" Exercise: Empty chair technique for building empathy and understanding across roles.

Design Alliance/Rules of Engagement: Creating team contracts for communication and decision-making.

Red Card/Green Card System: Behavioral feedback tools for team accountability.

"Yes, And" Communication: Improv-based technique for building on ideas rather than shutting them down.

Need advice about a sticky situation with your team? Head to teamlabatwork.com, click the 'Submit a Team Dynamic Story' button and you just may hear it unpacked on a future episode!

"The Heart Aroused" by David Whyte - Referenced book on bringing humanity to corporate environments

About Team Lab

Team Lab explores the power of teams, the science and art of collaboration, and the magic of thriving relationships at work. Hosted by Angela Migliaccio and Cori Caldwell, this podcast brings you inspiring stories and insights to help you build trust, foster alignment, and unlock creativity in your teams.

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Team Lab's theme music was composed and performed by @subrasonic