The Real Story Behind Equip for Success - - Meet Mialei
Those 3 Fateful Words Still Bring Tears
“You should have . . . verified that the right version of the code moved.”
Every Monday, the second supervisor of my high-tech career spewed these words and ground his heels into my very inexperienced heart.
On the Friday before, I had asked him how to verify the moves of the program versions that contained my changes from our project.
He could not be bothered to walk me through the process even though I knew the importance of checking my work.
Those words were spoken in arrogance without the guidance, support, or preparation that would have prevented my mistakes.
His message was clear: I was responsible for my mistakes, but he was not responsible for Equipping me for Success in my new role.
– – – – – – – – –
To this day, that moment has never faded.
Leadership, at its worst, expects results without clarity.
Leadership, at its best, equips people to succeed before asking them to deliver.
Most people have experienced the former.
Very few have seen the latter.
That difference defines the work now known as Equip for Success.
The True Meaning of "Equip for Success"
That difference is why I have poured my heart into the work now known as “Equip for Success.”
I began with the end in mind and called it “Equip and Engage,” which is my flagship course, designed exactly as I lived the journey with my customer support teams.
Customers never contact support in a good mood, and the analyst walks a fine line between confidence and dread in every customer encounter.
Every opportunity to train for the known continued through the extra step to share the unknown factors that could present a challenge that had to be met.
Together, the team could solve problems while the customer was still on the phone.
Nobody addressed a new question alone.
My teamleaders managed the daily routine without my presence because they knew what I expected after working with me as analysts.
Team members were given the guidelines in the early days of working with a mentor who showed them the team standards.
The Moment Everything Shifted
Years later, my trusted teamleaders walked into my office at my request and sat down across the desk. I could see on their faces that they were braced for a reprimand.
Just a few moments earlier I had finished an interview with a candidate that should have been disqualified in the initial round with the leads.
I was confused, but not upset.
I didn’t have to explain the situation because we had all heard the disqualifying statements the candidate made in both interviews.
I simply asked, “What happened?”
The response: “You came back.”
In a flash, I understood the confusion between us and every part of the situation was my fault, not theirs.
I had failed to tell them how I handled my own manager when she was available, but I really wanted her to be busy, or absent.
We discussed the ways that I ushered my leader out of the area if the candidate was not qualified.
I encouraged the teamleaders to use their own style and adjust for the situation.
Now, they were equipped to guide me and communicate without words in the right instance.
In that moment, I realized how important it was to me that I never uttered those belittling words, “You Should Have . . . ” when a misunderstanding caused an interruption to my day.
My teams would never be left without support because I was too distracted to provide guidance that mattered.
Silence would not lead.
Assumptions would not rule.
And “You Should Have . . . ” would never cross my lips for any reason.
The Reason "Equip for Success" Exists
Equip for Success was born to break the cycle of reactive leadership and challenge all leaders to get out in front and prepare every team member for the unknown.
Too many leaders carry the entire team through the workday while silently wondering why no one steps into responsibility.
The truth often hides in plain sight since nobody has been equipped to know if the decisions are correct. Team members have been given basic training, but few have been equipped to think, act, and decide.
When leaders Equip for Success, everything changes.
Where training ends, equipping begins, which includes:
the unseen decisions;
the “why” behind the “what”;
the freedom to act with confidence when the leader steps away.
Equip for Success challenges leaders to take a new path and lead from the front.
Once a leader recognizes the power of equipping the new path forward emerges:
One built on clarity.
One proven in the real world.
One that prepares team members before expecting performance.
Leadership That Builds, Not Breaks
Ineffective leadership leaves team members hesitant, reactive, and ashamed when mistakes are made.
Equipped leadership builds trust, ownership, and momentum that creates unstoppable, high-performing teams.
Equip for Success exists to guide leaders who are ready to stop repeating the missteps by leaders who didn’t know any better.
Once we understand the hurts, we can start building the kind of culture no one wants to leave even when challenges arise.
This is not about inspiration.
This is about transformation through equipping, not correcting.
The first step starts here.
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