Leadership Blueprint
How to build teams, culture, and capabilities that move companies forward
By Eric Berkman
I didn’t become a leader by chasing titles or trying to look like someone who had everything figured out. In fact, one of the first things I tell new team members, and something I’ve repeated in almost every discussion about leadership or in interviews I’ve ever done, is that I don’t have all the answers. And I never will. As a leader, that’s not my job.
Do I always have a perspective? Yes. Do I always do my homework? Yes. But do I always need to have all the answers? No.
That might sound strange in a corporate world where leaders often feel pressure to project certainty, and command the room. But, I learned early in my career that pretending to know everything shuts down the very thing organizations need most: people who are willing to think, explore, contribute, and grow. And if I have all the answers, then everyone else just follows and executes. It creates an environment where people don’t feel comfortable to share, and often leads to “big job title-led” rooms. That makes no sense to me. And this isn’t the 1950’s.
If there’s one idea that sits at the center of my leadership approach, it’s this: my job isn’t to have all the answers. My job is to build an environment where the answers emerge.
That simple idea has shaped how I lead teams, how I create vision, how I help develop people, and how I build capabilities that help organizations move with clarity, confidence, and purpose, to exceed targets. This comes from years of watching what works, what doesn’t work, and learning. It comes from building teams in environments where complexity was high and the margin for error was low. And it comes from understanding something that took me a while to learn. It comes from observing and working with other like-minded leaders, and those who do the opposite, by ruling with the iron fist.
Leadership is not about control.
Leadership is about culture.
The culture you create determines the engagement you get, the performance you unlock, and the level of trust people bring into the room. You can dictate priorities, but you cannot dictate discretionary effort. You can assign tasks, but you cannot assign creativity or commitment. Those things show up only when people feel valued, supported, trusted, and connected to something bigger than themselves.
Over time, I’ve come to believe that leadership starts long before you build a strategy or assign work. It starts with vision - not in the buzzword sense, but in the practical, grounded way that helps teams understand what they’re building, why it matters, and how their contributions fit.
To me, vision is not a slogan. Vision is clarity. It’s the ability to articulate where the organization is headed, what the transformation looks like, and how the team’s work connects to something meaningful. But vision only becomes real when you can translate it into capabilities, structure, and culture. Its one thing to say, “This is where we’re going,” on fancy slides, but it’s another to build the team that can take you there.
I learned this lesson in environments where the stakes were high, the problems were complex, and the path was not always obvious. I’ve had to look at businesses and inside environments I’ve been a part of, and ask: What are we really trying to achieve? Who do we serve? What really matters? What should we really focus on? What will it take to build the capabilities we need? How do we create the right roles, processes, and culture so the team can deliver consistently? How can we higher and develop the right people?
These are all hard things to do. And it takes the right mindset, approach, and how a leader goes about building the right relationships.
One of the best things I ever did as a leader was stop trying to be the smartest person in the room. Instead, I learned to be the person who clears the path. The person who creates alignment. The person who sets expectations honestly. The person who helps people bring their best selves to the work. I learned that people will surprise you with their brilliance if you give them the space, support, and encouragement to grow. If you hire people who care to engage and grow, and give them the support they need, it can be a wonderful thing to be a part of. And it’s ok to “let them” go down a path where you may already know or think you know where it will lead. It’s ok to let them grow. Adversity helps. It’ll benefit them, the team, and the organization down the line.
My leadership style is rooted in relationships. Not performative relationships based on manager and employee, but genuine ones. I want to know people - what motivates them, what challenges them, what they want for their careers, and what they worry about. I want them to feel like they can be themselves, because that’s when you get honesty. That’s when you get ideas. That’s when people push themselves and push the work to a higher level.
I lead with transparency because I believe people work better when they understand the “why,” not just the “what.” I communicate openly because clarity reduces anxiety and it lets people focus on the work instead of guessing what’s happening behind the scenes. I invest in people’s development because I see leadership not as a position of privilege, but as a responsibility to help others grow.
That also means I don’t believe in micromanagement. I don’t believe in hovering over someone’s shoulder or evaluating every step they take. That’s how you build compliance, not accountability and commitment. What I want is a team that feels ownership - the real ownership - of the work, the vision, and the outcomes. I want to work with a team that thinks for themselves, pushes back when something doesn’t make sense, and feels empowered to make decisions. I will, however, dig in accordingly, when I need to if something or someone is headed way off track to extreme detriment. And, I’m not afraid to have the tough conversations.
When people feel trusted, they act differently. They’re bolder. They’re more creative. They look for ways to make things better instead of waiting for direction. They take accountability not because they’re afraid, but because they care. And caring is the difference between average teams and exceptional ones.
Leadership, to me, is the process of giving people the clarity, support, and autonomy they need to thrive. It’s about showing them the destination, helping them create the path to get us there, and then letting them take the journey with confidence. It’s about removing barriers, not putting up gates. It’s about creating a space where people feel safe to take risks and comfortable making mistakes. Because mistakes aren’t failures - they’re evidence of trying, learning, and moving forward. That’s real growth and development and it benefits the people and the organization long term.
I work hard to make sure people feel secure enough to challenge ideas, share half-built concepts, and stretch themselves in new ways. One where people take chances because they know the intent is right, even if the outcome isn’t perfect. I work hard to earn their trust. It matters to me. We’re in it together.
Great teams grow because they are cared for, not controlled. They evolve because their leader believes in who they are and who they can become. They produce extraordinary work because they feel connected to the mission and to each other.
At the heart of all this is a simple truth: leadership is not about being followed.
It’s about building something worth joining.
When I think about the leaders who shaped me, the ones who made the biggest difference, they were always the ones who invested in me as a person. They were honest with the good and the bad. They were patient. They were demanding in the best possible way. They set high expectations, held me accountable, but supported me, and not with lip service, but with actions. And they created environments where I wanted to grow, not where I felt obligated to perform. I wanted to show up for them; I didn’t want to let them down. And they treated me like a real person, and with a real life beyond the office.
That’s the kind of leader I strive to be. Not perfect. Not all-knowing. But someone who shows up consistently, tells the truth, listens deeply, and cares about the people doing the work.
Over the years, I’ve learned that leadership is not one thing. It’s a combination of clarity, trust, humility, courage, and care. It’s the ability to see where the business needs to go and the ability to bring people with you willingly, not reluctantly. It’s knowing when to push, when to support, when to step aside, and when to speak up. It’s understanding that the strongest cultures are built by leaders who are willing to invest in people - not just processes, not just systems, not just KPIs, but people.
If I had to summarize my leadership philosophy, it would be this:
Lead with clarity
Lead with care
Earn trust
Admit when I'm wrong
Lead with curiousity
Lead with humility
Build the environment
Build the vision
Build the people
Break down barriers and get out of the way
Listen and act
If you do those things consistently, the work improves. The culture strengthens. The capabilities grow. And, the company moves forward with real momentum.
Leadership is not about having all the answers.
It’s about creating a place where the right answers can emerge - through people who feel supported, challenged, and proud to do the work with you.
That’s the leadership blueprint I believe in. And, it’s the one I bring wherever I go.