The Failure Gap

Kristi Cappelletti-Matthews is the Chief Human Resources Officer at VSP Vision, bringing more than three decades of HR leadership across healthcare and high tech. Her journey to CHRO started with a chance gym conversation that turned into a career-defining opportunity. Beginning as a compensation specialist, she expanded her scope by consistently connecting her expertise to broader business outcomes, eventually stepping into enterprise leadership where alignment across functions became essential.

Episode Takeaways:

• Alignment requires more than agreement. Leaders must actively connect decisions to enterprise impact and involve stakeholders early to avoid siloed thinking
• Culture doesn’t scale by accident. VSP intentionally evolved its culture during COVID to ensure connection and inclusion across a distributed workforce
• Integration starts with culture. Bringing acquired companies into the “family” works best when values are clear but flexibility is preserved. 
• Enterprise mindset is a learned shift. Leaders moving from smaller organizations must adapt from owning decisions to sharing them, which takes clarity and ongoing dialogue
• Good meetings drive alignment. Clear outcomes, purposeful conversation, and real dialogue beat calendar overload every time

Kristi’s perspective reinforces a core truth: alignment is less about grand declarations and more about consistent, sometimes uncomfortable conversations that connect people to the bigger picture. Whether integrating systems, evolving culture, or simply trying to stick to a workout plan, success comes down to commitment, realistic expectations, and a willingness to adjust along the way. Or, as she subtly reminds us, “good enough” often beats endlessly perfect and never delivered.

Connect with Kristi outside of this episode on LinkedIn here or through VSP Vision here.
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Dr. Julie Williamson wrote the book on how to Make HOW Matter. After working with hundreds of executives and leadership teams at Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies, she created the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™ to bring the power of leadership alignment to more leaders at every level.

Grounded in both real-world business experience and social science, this virtual, self-paced program helps you turn the principles of Make HOW Matter into practical leadership skills you can use every day. Whether you’re a small business owner, leading a division, or simply looking to increase your influence and drive better results, you’ll learn how to close the gap between agreement and true alignment, and turn priorities into action. Ready to make HOW matter? Explore the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

Kendall Colman’s leadership journey starts with a coach who saw her potential before she did. Early struggles with self-doubt and feeling out of place shifted when a field hockey coach challenged her to get out of her own way. That moment sparked a lifelong focus on unlocking potential in others. Over the past 25 years, she’s built Colman Coaching, helping senior leaders elevate their presence, communication, and impact, especially when the stakes are high and the spotlight is unavoidable. 

Episode Takeaways:

•  Pride is a quiet blocker. Leaders often agree they need to improve but hesitate to seek coaching, slowing growth right at the starting line
•  Courage is a daily practice, not a grand gesture. Small moments like speaking up, asking for help, or trying something new build real leadership muscle
•  Limiting beliefs quietly fuel the failure gap. Until leaders surface and rewrite them, progress stalls despite good intentions. 
•  Great leadership shifts from correction mode to teaching mode. Alignment improves when leaders focus on purpose, process, and people, not just fixing outputs
•  Servant leadership without strong communication falls flat. Intent matters, but impact depends on how clearly and confidently leaders show up

Kendall’s perspective brings a sharp reminder that many leadership gaps aren’t about capability, they’re about alignment. Leaders know they should communicate better, lead with intention, and invest in growth. The breakdown happens in the follow-through. What stands out is how closely courage, coaching, and communication tie to alignment. Without courage, leaders avoid hard conversations. Without coaching, blind spots stay hidden. Without strong communication, even the best intentions get lost in translation. It’s a perfect recipe for staying stuck in agreement instead of moving to action.

There’s also a subtle but important shift from “how do I perform?” to “how do I serve?” When leaders make that move, presence becomes less about ego and more about impact, which tends to be where the real results live anyway.

If there’s one thing to align on from this conversation, it’s this: growth requires visible effort. You can’t outsource it, and you can’t think your way into it. At some point, you have to step forward, take the swing, and yes, probably realize it wasn’t a half swing after all.

Connect with Kendall Colman outside of this episode on LinkedIn here or through Colman Coaching here.
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Dr. Julie Williamson wrote the book on how to Make HOW Matter. After working with hundreds of executives and leadership teams at Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies, she created the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™ to bring the power of leadership alignment to more leaders at every level.

Grounded in both real-world business experience and social science, this virtual, self-paced program helps you turn the principles of Make HOW Matter into practical leadership skills you can use every day. Whether you’re a small business owner, leading a division, or simply looking to increase your influence and drive better results, you’ll learn how to close the gap between agreement and true alignment, and turn priorities into action. Ready to make HOW matter? Explore the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

Josh Miramant, founder and CEO of Blue Orange Digital, brings a leadership story that proves careers are rarely built in straight lines. He started on a path toward politics and law, then took a sharp turn into startups, scaling, and eventually data and AI consulting. Along the way, he learned what many leaders eventually discover: growth usually looks less like a master plan and more like a series of thoughtful leaps with just enough ignorance to keep moving. Apparently, that is not recklessness, it is entrepreneurship with better branding.

Episode Takeaways:

• Leadership rarely follows a clean path. Curiosity, calculated risk, and a willingness to say yes can create the experiences that shape real leadership growth.
• Founders and executives are constantly navigating paradoxes. Delegate, but stay close. Take the leap, but be strategic. Both sides can be true, which is why alignment matters more than easy answers.
• AI adoption starts with individual ownership. Leaders do not need to code, but they do need enough hands-on experience to make grounded decisions instead of approving budgets for things that still feel like science fiction.
• Low-stakes experimentation is the best way to build confidence. Play with AI on language-based work like reports, posts, and storytelling before the high-stakes decisions arrive wearing a suit and carrying a budget.
• Josh’s CARD framework offers a practical lens for organizational AI adoption: clarity, ambition, relationships, and distribution. In other words, the tech matters, but the human system around it matters just as much.

What stands out most in Josh’s ideas is the reminder that progress comes through iteration, not perfection. Whether you are building a company, adopting AI, or trying to make better decisions with a team, alignment grows when people make the invisible visible and practice their way forward. The real opportunity is not just agreeing that change is important. It is learning how to move together when the path is still emerging. That is where better stories, better decisions, and better results start to stack up.

Connect with Josh Miramant outside of this episode on LinkedIn here.
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Dr. Julie Williamson wrote the book on how to Make HOW Matter. After working with hundreds of executives and leadership teams at Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies, she created the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™ to bring the power of leadership alignment to more leaders at every level.

Grounded in both real-world business experience and social science, this virtual, self-paced program helps you turn the principles of Make HOW Matter into practical leadership skills you can use every day. Whether you’re a small business owner, leading a division, or simply looking to increase your influence and drive better results, you’ll learn how to close the gap between agreement and true alignment, and turn priorities into action. Ready to make HOW matter? Explore the Make HOW Matter Accelerator™.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

Justin Salisbury “stumbled” into the car wash world with a mix of business education and trade school skills, then discovered it was the perfect place to put both to work. Fourteen years ago, he joined Breeze Thru Car Wash when it had just two locations, earned his way into ownership after three years, and leaned hard into what he loves most: building operational systems that help people grow. Today, he’s President and COO, leading a succession plan with a new ownership group, and scaling what he calls a “people development machine” across 16 locations in Northern Colorado and Southern Wyoming.

Justin’s story is a reminder that most leadership journeys are less “master plan” and more “well, that escalated.” He and Julie dig into why fear of failure keeps leaders stuck, and how Breeze Thru intentionally trains people to handle tough conversations, build trust, and create real alignment that survives growth spurts.

Episode Takeaways

• People are the business. Systems and structure matter, but they exist to help humans succeed, not to look pretty in a binder.
• Failure is required, not tolerated. At Breeze Thru Car Wash, empowerment means “you get the opportunity to fail,” then learn fast and respond well.
• Alignment takes time, then takes more time. Defining mission, vision, and values took months, deploying them took years, and scaling requires revisiting them.
• Get curious, not furious. Curiosity changes the chemistry of leadership and turns emotional reactions into productive questions.
• Hard conversations are a skill gap, not a character flaw. Confidence grows when leaders practice crucial conversations, survive, and realize they can do it again.

Justin’s big alignment call is simple and surprisingly rare: help people understand how they matter. When leaders commit to that, trust deepens, growth accelerates, and even a car wash becomes a place where people leave stronger than they arrived (and yes, with a cleaner car).

Connect with Justin Salisbury on LinkedIn here or check out a Breeze Thru Car Wash location near you today.
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Is misalignment holding your organization back?
Aligned teams deliver better results more consistently, and they have deeper connections to each other and their organizations. 

Download our free Leadership Alignment Evaluation Tool and take the first step toward transforming how your team works together.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

Justin Nassiri, founder and CEO of Executive Presence, joined Julie Williamson to explore what it really takes to move from agreement to alignment, especially when leaders know they should be more visible but struggle to act. Justin traced his leadership journey from drum major to the Naval Academy, nuclear submarines, Stanford, and multiple startups, landing on a key insight Julie reinforced throughout the conversation: leadership is never finished; it keeps evolving as you do. A powerful moment came when Justin shared, realizing, at 45, that he was experiencing true partnership with his leadership team for the first time. Julie named it clearly: that moment shows what leadership can feel like when alignment is real.

Together, they unpacked why leaders often agree they should work on self-awareness, emotional regulation, or presence, yet don’t align to do the work. Justin explained that personal growth doesn’t come with clean metrics or fast wins, unlike most business skills. Julie connected this directly to the Failure Gap, where good intentions stall without commitment, patience, and the willingness to sit with discomfort.

Episode Takeaways

• Leadership is not a destination. It’s more like a subscription you have to renew with humility
• Personal growth fuels leadership growth: emotional regulation and self-awareness create space for more honest, productive team dialogue
• For entrepreneurs: don’t confuse “co-creating everything” with alignment. Sometimes the visionary’s job is to sketch the destination so the team can build the route
• “Simple is better” plus repetition wins: if you can’t rattle off your values, your team definitely can’t. Turn the volume up 10x
• LinkedIn success comes down to three things: a compelling why (usually service to the business), clear measurement (what does “good” look like?), and a system (motivation is a flimsy employee)

Justin’s closing “align on this” is deceptively hard: listen better. Reflect back on what you heard, slow down the hot takes, and watch the temperature drop. In a noisy world, the most executive thing you can do might be to stop talking for a second.

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn here or learn more about Executive Presence here.
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Is misalignment holding your organization back?
Aligned teams deliver better results more consistently, and they have deeper connections to each other and their organizations. 

Download our free Leadership Alignment Evaluation Tool and take the first step toward transforming how your team works together.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

Chris Baird is the President and CEO of OptConnect, and his leadership story starts far from the corner office. He joined the company in 2009 as an ATM repair specialist, kept volunteering for the “extra mile” work (where, as he put it, there’s no traffic), and stepped into a bigger responsibility when ownership transitioned and a leadership gap opened. Along the way, he learned his path is hard to copy, but the behaviors behind it are simple: say yes, stay curious, and be humble enough to take feedback without treating it like a personal attack.

Julie and Chris dig into the Failure Gap, that familiar space where everyone agrees something is a good idea, but nothing changes. Chris shares a real example from his leadership team: “false alignment,” when people nod in the meeting and then operate their own plan afterward. Naming it helped them stop “going along to get along” and start getting honest about how they would actually execute together. They also explore how misalignment shows up with customers, like teams optimizing for the lowest price instead of the true cost, then being surprised when “cheap” comes with a side of missing features.

Chris also connects leadership to endurance events, sharing lessons from training for (and surviving) a 70.3 race: grit matters, but systems matter more. Preparation, structure, and team support beat willpower alone, especially when conditions get hot, and your assumptions start melting.

Episode Takeaways

• Curiosity and saying yes create leadership momentum, even when the path is unplanned
• “False alignment” is agreement with unchanged behavior, and it quietly wrecks execution
• If teams optimize for the wrong problem (price vs. total cost), misalignment multiplies
• Grit helps, but disciplined systems, feedback, and preparation carry you farther
• Humility and vulnerability make alignment easier because teams solve problems together

Alignment to big goals often starts with a small moment: raising a hand and asking, “Are we actually aligned, or just being polite?” Bonus: it’s cheaper than another reorg.

Episode Resources

• Ken Thompson, AlignOrg: “Death by a Thousand Good Ideas: The Power of Strategic Clarity”

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Is misalignment holding your organization back?
Aligned teams deliver better results more consistently, and they have deeper connections to each other and their organizations. 

Download our free Leadership Alignment Evaluation Tool and take the first step toward transforming how your team works together.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

Jeremy Sharpe grew up riding around the desert with his dad, thinking he was on grand childhood adventures while secretly getting groomed as a real estate developer. Now president of Sharpe Development Group and managing partner of Rancho Sahuarita, he carries forward a multigenerational commitment to “creating a better life for people” through the built environment. His path was not linear, with early dreams of being a vet and launching his own company before returning to the family business in Tucson, stepping fully into leadership after his father’s illness and passing. That experience, and the vulnerability it required, continues to shape how he leads his team, his partners, and his community.

Episode Takeaways

• Values before vision: People may disagree with a decision, yet still trust it if they believe in the leader’s values and integrity. That trust becomes the real foundation of long-term alignment. 
• Alignment includes time, not just ideas: Large-scale communities play out over decades, not quarters, so Jeremy works to get partners, employees, and residents aligned to both the vision and the timeline.
• Know when to walk away: Deals and hires can drift from alignment over time. Letting go, even late in the process, can be an act of integrity rather than failure.
• Leaders are humans, not certainty machines: Jeremy normalizes imposter syndrome, makes hard calls through a values lens, and is willing to say “I got that wrong,” whether with executives or six-year-olds who are very committed to their own positions.
• Translate the speedboat and the wake: His development team moves fast on vision and innovation while community management and utilities keep life calm and reliable for residents, with key leaders playing translator between urgency and stability.

Jeremy leaves us with a clear challenge: look within, reflect honestly on how you are really showing up, and align your daily decisions with your why. Agreement sounds nice in the meeting, but alignment is what shows up in the neighborhood, on the balance sheet, and around your own kitchen table. Connect with him on LinkedIn here.

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Is misalignment holding your organization back?
Aligned teams deliver better results more consistently, and they have deeper connections to each other and their organizations. 

Download our free Leadership Alignment Evaluation Tool and take the first step toward transforming how your team works together.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

In this episode of The Failure Gap, host Julie engages in a conversation with Tony Goncalves, former CEO of Otter Media and EVP of Warner Media, about his career journey and the transition from the media industry to founding The Evrose Group in Portugal. Tony shares insights on building bridges between the US and Portugal, the importance of trust and timing in leadership, and his personal mission to elevate Portuguese talent on a global stage. The discussion also touches on the challenges of career pivots, the significance of deliberate choices, and the courage to pursue new opportunities.

Episode Takeaways:

• Tony Goncalves emphasizes the importance of trust and timing in leadership
• Building bridges between the US and Portugal is a key mission for Tony
• Career pivots require deliberate choices and courage
• Tony's journey highlights the significance of aligning personal mission with professional goals
• The Evros Group aims to elevate Portuguese talent on a global stage
• Tony shares insights on the challenges of transitioning from a corporate role to entrepreneurship
• The discussion explores the role of trust in successful leadership
• Tony's story illustrates the power of pursuing new opportunities despite fear
• The conversation highlights the importance of expanding one's network during transitions
• Tony's experience underscores the value of aligning personal and professional purposes

If you would like to connect with Tony outside of this episode, connect with him on LinkedIn here.
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Is misalignment holding your organization back?
Aligned teams deliver better results more consistently, and they have deeper connections to each other and their organizations. 

Download our free Leadership Alignment Evaluation Tool and take the first step toward transforming how your team works together.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

In this episode of The Failure Gap, Julie Williamson speaks with Andy Cowan, president of Particle Measuring Systems, about the significance of aligned leadership. They explore Andy's journey to leadership, the importance of team alignment, and the characteristics that define effective leaders. The conversation delves into building trust within teams, navigating challenges, and celebrating successes. Andy emphasizes the role of visualization in achieving goals and the necessity of clear metrics to ensure alignment. The discussion concludes with insights on overcoming the fear of failure and key takeaways for leaders looking to foster collaboration and alignment within their teams.

Episode Takeaways

• Alignment is crucial in both business and personal contexts
• Listening to stakeholders is a fundamental leadership skill
• Courage and transparency are essential for effective leadership
• Building trust within teams enhances collaboration
• Progress is more important than perfection in leadership
• Visualization helps in achieving strategic goals
• Metrics should align with overall company objectives
• Assuming positive intent fosters a collaborative environment
• Overcoming the fear of failure is vital for growth
• Adaptability is key in a changing business landscape

If you would like to connect with Andy Cowan outside of this episode, connect with him on LinkedIn.
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Is misalignment holding your organization back?
Aligned teams deliver better results more consistently, and they have deeper connections to each other and their organizations. 

Download our free Leadership Alignment Evaluation Tool and take the first step toward transforming how your team works together.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results

At Karrikins Group, we work alongside leaders to close the gap between great ideas and real results by combining business expertise with social science to help teams align on how to deliver together - driving better outcomes and stronger connections.

In this episode of the Failure Gap, host Julie Williamson, PhD, engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Carice Anderson, author of "Intelligence Isn't Enough." They explore the importance of understanding oneself, building relationships, and navigating high-performing environments. Carice shares her journey from her education at Harvard Business School to her career at McKinsey, Deloitte, and beyond, emphasizing the value of aligning work with personal values and the power of connectedness.

Episode Takeaways

• Understanding oneself is crucial for success
• Building relationships is key in high-performing environments
• Aligning work with personal values enhances impact
• Connectedness is essential in both personal and professional life
• Education is a tool to transcend barriers
• Excellence is achieved through collaboration
• Navigating different cultures requires adaptability
• Personal branding is important for introverts
• Psychological safety fosters team success
• Deadlines and accountability drive completion

If you would like to connect with Carice Anderson outside of this episode, connect with her on LinkedIn, learn more about her on her website here, or snag your own copy of the book, "Intelligence Isn't Enough."
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Is misalignment holding your organization back?
Aligned teams deliver better results more consistently, and they have deeper connections to each other and their organizations. 

Download our free Leadership Alignment Evaluation Tool and take the first step toward transforming how your team works together.

Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:

• Connect with Julie on LinkedIn
• Follow Karrikins Group on LinkedIn 
• Check out Julie's book, 'Make HOW Matter: Key Conversations for Leaders to Build Alignment and Accelerate Growth'
• Learn more about how Karrikins Group helps enterprise teams drive better results