Kristi Duvall is a Women in Print Alliance member, VP of Sales in the print and packaging industry, and a leadership coach specializing in organizational change. She recently led a workshop for our community introducing her SPARK method for managing through change — a practical framework that resonated with members navigating everything from team transitions to company-wide shifts.

In her latest LinkedIn newsletter, Kristi puts a name to a leadership pattern many of us have encountered. Does the scenario below sound familiar?

“A senior leader jumps in. Makes a promise without looping in the people who actually have to deliver it. Overrides a process that exists for a reason. Sets an expectation that only works if the team pulls off something heroic. And then they’re gone.”

Kristi calls this drive-by leadership – and she makes a compelling case for why this pattern is more damaging than it looks in the moment. The cost isn’t just operational. It’s structural. And it’s the kind of thing that shows up in your numbers before anyone names what’s causing it.

She closes with a question worth sitting with: “When you step in, do you stay long enough to see the impact of the decision you just made?”

Read the full article and be sure to subscribe to The Spark Effect newsletter for more leadership lessons from Kristi.