Catching Lightning in a Bottle

The Lightning Toolkit

Practical frameworks, diagnostics, and templates to start building your high-performing team today.

What's Inside

⚡ Five Lightning Markers Diagnostic

Assess your team against the five characteristics of truly exceptional teams: Vulnerability-Based Trust, Truth-Seeking Conflict, North Star Purpose, Distributed Authority, and Collective Ownership. Identify where your team shines and where to focus your efforts.

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💥 Five Fragmentation Forces Checklist

Audit your team for the five forces that tear distributed teams apart: Ego, Silos, Short-Termism, Synchronous Addiction, and The Hero Myth. Each force includes warning signs, root causes, and specific counter-measures you can implement this week.

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🪛 Leyden Jar Model Overview

A visual guide to the Leyden Jar Model for institutionalizing team excellence. Diagnose which component of your "bottle" is weakest — Glass (systems), Conductor (trust), Seal (culture), or Charge (purpose) — and find targeted interventions.

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🚀 90-Day Lightning Plan Template

The complete action plan from Chapter 10. Role-specific guidance for Leaders, Managers, and Individual Contributors. Covers three phases: Diagnose (Days 1–30), Strengthen (Days 31–60), and Sustain (Days 61–90). Start building your high-performing team Monday morning.

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Additional Frameworks

Deep-dive tools from specific chapters for targeted team-building challenges.

The Trust Equation for Global Teams

From Chapter 3. A modified trust formula that adds Cultural Intelligence as a key factor for distributed teams.

  • Trust = (Competence + Consistency + Connection + Cultural Intelligence) / Ego
  • Diagnose low trust by identifying which numerator is weak
  • Includes the Trust Repair Protocol for when trust breaks

The North Star Statement Builder

From Chapter 4. A structured process for co-creating a compelling team purpose statement.

  • Template: "We [transformation] for [who we serve] so that [impact]"
  • Three validation tests: Time Horizon, Decision Filter, Newcomer
  • Includes the Alignment Audit to verify purpose is real, not a slogan

The L-M-IC Partnership Assessment

From Chapter 1. Assess your team's L-M-IC maturity across four levels.

  • Level 1: Misaligned — Roles working in isolation or conflict
  • Level 2: Coordinating — Communicating but not truly partnering
  • Level 3: Collaborating — Actively partnering on key decisions
  • Level 4: Integrated — Fluid, self-reinforcing partnership

The Speak-Up Index

From Chapter 3. A seven-question anonymous survey measuring psychological safety. Designed for cultural sensitivity in global teams.

  • Seven research-backed questions rated 1–5
  • Scoring guide with action thresholds
  • Cultural interpretation guidelines
  • Recommended cadence: quarterly for established teams, monthly for new teams

The Conflict Style Matrix for Global Teams

From Chapter 3. Based on Erin Meyer's Culture Map, navigate different cultural approaches to conflict, feedback, and decision-making.

  • Three dimensions: Communicating, Evaluating, Leading
  • Cultural mapping guide for your team
  • Bridge-building strategies for each dimension

Want the Full Picture?

These tools are excerpts from the book's comprehensive framework library. For the complete system, stories, and implementation guidance:

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