Leadership: Core Theory of Success

Gregg’s Reflection

Core Theory of Success

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It was only at the end of my business career that I realized how important trust is in building a strong team and culture. When I began my EMBA, I realized many of the theories of leadership had trust at the core. Trust had not been our father’s forte. He was a micromanager lost his temper and yelled a lot. I have since realized that micromanagement says to your people, ”I don’t trust you.” He was inconsistent in his leadership and people learned not to take risks or initiative.

Discovering the importance of trust in my EMBA coursework, I began an experiment in trust. I intentionally voiced my trust in the team running my division of the business time and time again in our meetings. What I saw over the next six months is every one of them stepped up. They expressed more ideas, tried new things when they realized they would not be punished for failing.

Then they surprised me. One of my core team left to pursue other dreams. The rest of them got together and brought me a plan. They suggested that they could split his responsibilities, and we could use his salary to hire more people at the customer interface. I was stunned. We had three rounds of organizational redesign, but none of them had originated with the team. I took them to pitch their idea to my brother, who had to sign off on such matters.

In that meeting, he picked apart their proposal. They walked out of the meeting with their tails between their legs. I brought them into my office, let them whine for a bit, then I told them, “He didn’t say no, he said you had not done all your homework.“ I sent them off to answer the questions my brother raised. A week later we met with him again and he signed off. The plan worked well when we implemented it. I was so proud of the team, and we worked at a much higher level after that.

I learned that every meeting needed a twin focus, the task at hand and the relationships in the room. At the end of each meeting, we would take time to ask what we could do better, and were there things we needed to do differently, to start or stop doing. We used the analogy of sharpening the saw. Without focusing on relationship as well as task, work can become like continuing to cut with a dull saw, productivity inevitably drops. I learned the value of effective teams, and we reorganized the whole division into a team based organization.

I discovered the Core Theory of Success first in Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, and found it reinforced when I began to read Robert Fritz. In his book, The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz described it this way: The Core Theory of Success is explained as a structural dynamic: Beliefs → Actions → Results → Reinforced Beliefs.

I came to understand the dynamics of what was called the Core Theory of Success.

This image depicts what can either be a virtuous cycle or a vicious cycle. As trust builds in the team, the quality of thinking goes up as people share their views of reality in ways that help us all see a bigger picture. As the quality of thinking improves, the quality of decisions improves and the quality of action improves, leading to better results which then strengthen the relationships on the team creating a reinforcing loop improving performance over time.

The reverse is also true. If trust erodes and relationships become strained, the quality of thinking declines, because people learn to hold back and only say what the boss wants to hear. The quality of decisions and actions decline, leading to poor results, which further strains relationships on the team. The cycle is also a reinforcing loop going in the wrong direction.

I have seen both the virtuous and vicious cycle play out in my work with business and churches. When I shared this image to ChatGPT, here are the bullet points it suggests:

• Action becomes potent when it’s aligned with shared purpose and clear thinking.
• Teams that reflect together, clarify intent, and act deliberately are far more likely to generate outcomes that matter and endure.
• Teams that build relational safety through trust and mutual respect can think more clearly, challenge one another without fear, and move beyond defensiveness.
• This reinforces that high-trust relationships are the soil for high-quality thinking.
• Clarity of thought precedes meaningful, aligned action.
• Effective teams surface assumptions and explore mental models to ensure that their actions reflect their best collective wisdom—not just the loudest voices or fastest decisions.
• Reflecting on results builds humility, accountability, and mutual respect.
• The cycle completes as results become fuel for deepened trust, forming a virtuous loop.
• The visible fruit of spiritual life is communal, relational, and generative—deepening connection and trust, thus feeding back into the system.
• As thinking is renewed in Christ and held in community, teams become able to discern God’s will and act in alignment with truth rather than impulse.
• Authentic relationships marked by humility, love, and shared experience deepen the unity needed for wise, Spirit-led thinking.
• Spirit-led action, rooted in love and shared contribution, leads to fruitful growth and Kingdom impact.

If you as a leader wish to build a high performance team, focus on task as well as relationship. Build trust with the team. Live into the core theory of success as a virtuous cycle. If you are seeing a vicious cycle, work on trust and relationship to turn that around. Read on and see how this plays out in your business organization or church. Blessings.

Journaling Prompts

Where am I experiencing trust, vulnerability, or true connection in my current relationships? Is there a key relationship that needs repair or deeper honesty? Who helps me think clearly and truthfully? Am I inviting them close enough?
What shift in relationship, thought, or action might lead to more Spirit-filled results?

Scripture

By their fruit you will recognize them.

Matthew 7:20

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself… neither can you, unless you abide in me.

John 15:4

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…

Romans 12:2

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

1 Corinthians 12:26

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:27

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…

Colossians 3:23

Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:2–3

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:16

Ancient Writing

You are what you think. All that you are arises from your thoughts. With your thoughts, you make the world.

Buddha, Dhammapada, Verse 1

The glory of God is a human being fully alive.

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book IV, Chapter 20

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.

John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture

Modern Writing

Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words…

Mahatma Gandhi, paraphrase from Young India, 1924

Relationship is the crucible in which all spiritual transformation takes place.

Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, p. 106

We do not think ourselves into new ways of living; we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.

Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, p. 21

Learning organizations are places where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire.

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, p. 3

Ultimately, organizations learn through individuals who learn. People with a strong sense of commitment and connection are the core of any real change.

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, p. 13

People with high levels of personal mastery are acutely aware of their ignorance, their incompetence, and their growth areas. And they are deeply self-reflective. This fuels right action.

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, p. 142

The actions of an organization are shaped by the systems of belief and thought within it. To change results, you must change the way people act. To change the way they act, you must help them see differently.

Peter Senge, paraphrased summary, The Fifth Discipline, Chapter 2

Vision is a force in people’s hearts… A genuine vision is not just an idea. It is a force of impressive power.”

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline, p. 206

If you want to produce different results, you must create the conditions in which new thinking and new action can arise.

Charlotte Roberts, The Dance of Change, p. 21

The level of trust people have in one another influences the openness with which they will share their assumptions, questions, and thinking.

Charlotte Roberts, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, p. 67

When people see meaningful results from shared effort, trust deepens and relationships grow stronger. This is the foundation of a generative learning culture.

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, p. 109

Love and trust are not just lofty goals. They are conditions for real dialogue and thinking together.

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, p. 241

When people reflect together on the gap between intention and results, learning happens and relationships deepen.

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, p. 242

When teams can inquire into each other’s thinking with genuine curiosity, trust grows and the quality of collective thought rises.”

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, p. 377

When individuals explain their reasoning, teams begin to think together rather than just argue opinions.

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, p. 377