Herding Tigers Bonus Episode! Optimizing: You're Probably Playing Different Games at the Same Table

Herding Tigers Bonus Episode! Optimizing: You're Probably Playing Different Games at the Same Table

From Daily Creative with Todd Henry by Todd Henry

May 2, 2026 · 11 min · Season 1 · Episode 107

About this episode

The episode explores the concept of optimization in leadership and the different motivations that team members may have, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging these differences for effective collaboration.

In this surprise revival of the Herding Tigers Podcast, we kick off a new direction with an exploration of what it means to "optimize" as leaders. We discuss the invisible drivers that cause organizational tension, challenging the idea that conflict always comes from personality clashes or miscommunication. Instead, we unpack the reality that everyone—ourselves included—is optimizing for something different, whether it’s stability, recognition, autonomy, craft, efficiency, or meaning. We share real-world examples from recent events and provide a practical framework for understanding and talking about these optimization goals with our teams. The episode highlights why acknowledging these differences is essential for effective leadership, how to surface hidden motivations, and why conscious tension leads to better outcomes than underground misalignment. Five Key Learnings Everyone on your team is optimizing for something—stability, recognition, autonomy, craft, efficiency, income, comfort, or meaning—and not always the same thing. The unseen tension in organizations often stems from people “playing different games at the same table,” keeping score in different ways. None of the…

People in this episode

Host: Todd Henry

Topics covered

  • leadership
  • organizational tension
  • optimization
  • team dynamics
  • conflict resolution

Keywords

  • optimization
  • leadership
  • organizational tension
  • team dynamics
  • conflict
  • motivation
  • communication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Herding Tigers Podcast

More episodes of Daily Creative with Todd Henry

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Daily Creative with Todd Henry podcast page.