Are You Fighting for Results—or Running with Lions?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in over two decades of consulting and coaching is this: the smallest moments often reveal the biggest truths about your team. Not long ago, I came across a post from a manager struggling with a front desk staff member. The manager asked the team to document patient confirmation calls and conversations, especially when a patient doesn’t show. To most of us, this is a basic request — a tiny step that supports accountability, patient experience, and overall operational excellence.

But one staff member refused. Not only refused, but announced in front of the team and doctor that it was “too much” and that she wouldn’t do it.

Here’s the thing: moments like this aren’t about the task itself. They’re about what the task reveals. You’re not just managing a job description and a salary. You’re managing character, work ethic, teamwork, coachability, and a mindset that determines whether an employee is an asset—or a liability.

The best employees understand that every small request is an opportunity to contribute to the big picture. They recognize that success is built upon countless tiny disciplines. The worst employees? They draw lines in the sand, making every request a negotiation and every improvement a battle.

If you’ve trained, coached, and managed appropriately — if you’ve set expectations clearly and given people the chance to rise to the occasion — and someone still chooses defiance, it’s a sign. Not a sign that you’ve failed as a manager, but that you’ve learned enough about that person to make a better decision for your practice.

You have a choice. You can spend the next month fighting for compliance, exhausting your energy trying to make the impossible happen. Or you can acknowledge a fundamental truth about high‑performing teams: great results come from aligning with people who want to win.

At Leverage Consulting, I tell the leaders I work with every day: it’s far more productive to run with lions than to drag along those who don’t want to move. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your team, your patients, and your practice is to have the tough conversation, make the necessary change, and create space for someone who sees their role as more than a job description.

Results are never an accident. They’re built by people committed to excellence, accountability, and collaboration. As a leader, it’s your job to recognize when you’ve done all you can and to have the courage to make the call.

Stop fighting for results. Start running with lions. Build a team that chooses to rise to the standard every day — in every interaction, every note, every patient confirmation. That’s how you win. That’s how you build a practice worth belonging to.