What Lane Are You In? A Leadership Framework for Going Far—and Fast
Several years ago, I had a CEO who asked two questions during performance reviews: What’s your power lane? And what’s your emerging lane?
I’d never thought of my strengths and growth areas in those terms, but I loved the clarity.
It wasn’t corporate jargon—it was real talk. The power lane is where you shine—your superpower, the strength others rely on you for. The emerging lane? That’s where you’re gaining traction. You’re not there yet, but you're learning, building, and refining.
This simple framework prompted real self-reflection and made space for growth without judgment.
But over time, I’ve come to believe there’s a third lane every leader needs to embrace: The HOV lane.
The HOV Lane: Who’s in Your Car?
In traffic, the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane is how you move faster—but only if you're not riding solo. The same is true in leadership.
Your HOV lane is your team: people who challenge your thinking, fill your gaps, and bring their own power-lane strengths. When you build a car full of complementary talent, you can pass the gridlock. You don’t just reach your goals—you get there faster, together.
One of the best pieces of leadership advice I ever received was this: Hire people better than you. Then trust them. Empower them. Get out of their way.
When you do that, the results speak for themselves.
McKinsey found that companies with high organizational health—often built on strong team dynamics—deliver 3x higher returns to shareholders.
Gallup reports that engaged teams are 18% more productive and 23% more profitable.
And Harvard Business Review has shown that trust and psychological safety—core to strong team cultures—are the bedrock of innovation and high performance.
Leading with Clarity—and Humanity
Over the years, I’ve come to see that my “HOV lane” is my greatest leadership asset. I’m known for building high-performing, engaged teams—not because I have all the answers, but because I build teams of people who, together, do.
So what’s the secret behind those results?
I hire great people—and I take care of them.
Taking care of people means communicating a clear strategy, helping each person see how they uniquely contribute to the mission, giving them the support they need to deliver results, creating space to test and fail, and simply making time to connect and be human. It also means embracing healthy tension and encouraging diverse perspectives—because when intellectual horsepower pulls from different directions, it drives sharper thinking and better outcomes.
Because here’s the truth: Your company is only as good as your people. They are the talent powering your product, your brand, and your impact.
If you want to lead a fast-moving, high-performing team, know your lanes:
Lead from your power lane
Stretch in your emerging lane
And fill your HOV lane with brilliant people who make you better.
Get that right—and the road ahead is wide open.