Rank Doesn't Lead

An engineer asked for a few days to test new code for security holes. According to leaked messages reported by 404 Media, the CEO called the request nonsense and "loser thinking." After employees went public, he canceled a plan staff feared could cost them their jobs, and apologized: "I shouldn't have said some of the things I did to the people who helped build this company." Keith Clicque, a police chief in North Texas, shares three lessons for every line of work: mocking the person who raises a risk doesn't remove the risk, your words weigh more when you have the title, and the apology that counts is about people, not messaging. Sources: 404 Media, TSN, The Verge. More at rankdoesntlead.com.

In Game 4 of the World Series, Brewers manager Pat Murphy kept his ace, Jacob Misiorowski, in the bullpen, and the Rays won in 12 innings. The next day he explained his reasoning without getting defensive, and the next night the Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series. Keith Clicque shares three lessons for public safety leaders: judge the decision and not just the result, explain your reasoning when you're second-guessed, and protect t

Sir Patrick Stewart died on October 28, 2026, at 86. For many of us, he will always be Captain Jean-Luc Picard. This tribute episode looks at four leadership lessons from that bridge: doing everything right and still losing, holding your integrity under pressure, taking counsel and then owning the call, and why the scars we carry are part of why we can lead. It also remembers the man himself and his lifelong work for families affected by domestic violence. Read the article at rankdoesntlead.com.

When was the last time you kept a promise nobody else would have known you broke?

Most of us make one on January first and have quietly broken it by the Super Bowl. So today's story caught my attention.

Read the companion article: https://rankdoesntlead.com/articles/ten-years-everything-i-had/

A school bus rolled past a St. Paul, Minnesota, convenience store with its door wide open and its driver in a medical emergency. A 27-year-old store clerk sprinted after it, jumped aboard and stopped the bus with nineteen middle schoolers on board. Keith Clicque looks at why leadership shows up in the gap before anyone with rank arrives, why scared people need a job, why calm is a skill you can borrow, and how leaders build a culture where people step in instead of waiting.

Read the companion article: https://rankdoesntlead.com/articles/st-paul-school-bus-clerk-stepped-in/

One year ago today, Keith Clicque was diagnosed with testicular cancer. What he thought was a kidney stone turned into a year of chemo, prayer, and a new baby girl, and it taught him more about leadership than any class he has taken. In this longer, more personal special episode, Keith shares why presence beats policy, why leaders need to read their people and not just their words, and why sometimes the most caring thing a leader can do is send someone home. If this reaches one person who needs to get checked, it was worth it: don't ignore symptoms, and keep up with your regular checkups.

Two Suffolk County (N.Y.) police officers pulled up to a night pickup soccer game, and the teens figured they were about to be sent home. Instead, the officers hopped the fence and joined the game, and the video passed eighteen million views. Keith Clicque looks at why people brace for what they expect from us, why presence isn't the same as approachability, and why what gets recognized gets repeated.Read the companion article: https://rollcallleadership.com/articles/suffolk-soccer-hopped-the-fence/

Keith Clicque, a Cowboys fan having a rough season, finds an unexpected leadership lesson in Brian Schottenheimer's "that starts with me" after a tough loss. He looks at why repeated mistakes are a leadership problem first, how to credit effort while still naming the problem, and why owning it only counts when a plan follows. Read more at https://rollcallleadership.com

A church sewing group in Ohio spent two decades making sleeping bags, and one volunteer finally saw where they ended up when she recognized the fabric on a shelter cot. Keith Clicque reflects on the quiet work officers do that they almost never see land, and how leaders can close that loop for their people. Read more at https://rollcallleadership.com

Charleston, West Virginia, just handed its police department from retiring Chief Scott Dempsey to longtime deputy chief Jason Webb, and the transition shows what real succession planning looks like. In this episode, we cover three lessons for public safety and hospital security leaders, plus practical steps you can take this week to build your bench and earn trust before you need it.