Leadership & Ops

The System That Separates Good Leaders From Great Ones | CGN with Steffan Surdek

Steffan Surdek shares five practical co-creative leadership skills that help business owners build stronger teams, delegate better, and create lasting change in their organizations.

Bernie Franzgrote

31 Mar 2026 — 3 min read

A horizontal promotional thumbnail featuring Steffan Surdek, a middle-aged man with grey hair and glasses, wearing a grey blazer over a patterned shirt. He is positioned on the left side of the image, facing slightly right, with his right hand raised and open as if presenting or offering an idea. A soft golden light glows from his palm. The background is a vibrant blue with abstract digital grid and light streak elements in blue and orange tones. Bold text on the right side of the image reads "THE SYSTEM: GOOD TO GREAT LEADERSHIP" in large orange and white block letters with dark outlines. The Canada Growth Network logo — a circular white badge featuring a stylized group of people icon above the words Canada Growth Network in blue and red — appears in the lower left corner.

Hosts: Percy Barr, Wayne Pratt & Bernie Franzgrote

Steffan Surdek shares five co-creative leadership skills on Knack 4 Business. Practical tools for SMB owners who want stronger, more engaged teams.

GROWTH CATEGORY: Leadership & Ops

Most leaders were promoted because they performed well as individuals. Nobody taught them how to lead a team. That gap shows up in meetings, in delegation, in culture — and it costs more than most businesses realize. Steffan Surdek has spent over a decade closing that gap. In this Canada Growth Network Power Hour, he shares the five skills that separate good leaders from great ones.

Watch the full conversation here:

WHO THIS IS FOR

SMB owners / Solopreneurs growing their first team / Corporate leaders whose old style is no longer working / Anyone who manages people and wants better results

Key Lessons

Stop dominating the conversation.

Most leaders think speaking first shows confidence. Often it just shuts the room down. Steffan's seven-second rule is the fastest fix available — ask a question, count to seven, and do not fill the silence. The first time you try it, it will feel uncomfortable. That discomfort means it is working. Your team has more to say than you think. They just need you to stop answering for them.

Your team already has the leaders you need.

Steffan calls them dormant leaders. Outside of work they coach youth sports, organize community events, and carry real responsibility. Inside the office they hold back because no one signalled that their leadership was welcome. A co-creative leader sees that potential and creates the conditions for it to surface. The shift does not require a reorganization. It requires a conversation.

Delegation is a training system, not a task transfer.

Most leaders delegate and then get frustrated when things come back wrong. Steffan's three-step model reframes the whole thing. Do for — show the work while they watch. Do with — do it together until they are ready. Let them do — hand it off completely and only come back for feedback when needed. Done right, you delegate a task once and never touch it again in three to six months.

Practical Steps

Try the seven-second rule in your next meeting. Ask a question. Count silently. Do not speak until someone else does. Notice who steps in — and who still holds back.
Identify one dormant leader on your team this week. Think about who shows up differently outside the office. Have a conversation. Ask what they would take on if the title were not a barrier.
Reframe your next mistake debrief. Instead of asking what went wrong, ask what the person was trying to learn. Then ask what the logical next step is based on that learning.

About the Guest

Steffan Surdek is a senior leadership advisor, author, and founder of Surdek Solutions based in Montreal, Canada. He works with executives, directors, and leadership teams who want to reshape how their organizations collaborate and communicate. He is the author of The Way of the Co-Creative Leader and a recognized speaker on leadership and change management at global conferences. His writing appears on Forbes, Cutter, and Wellness. Connect with him on LinkedIn or grab his free five-skill handbook at surdek.com.

Listen on Audio

Listen on Simplecast

Browse all episodes

Attend the Mon Power Hour Session FREE

FAQ

What is co-creative leadership? Co-creative leadership is a mindset and a skill set. It is about leading alongside your team rather than above them — harnessing the knowledge and potential already in the room to build more engaged, capable, and self-directed teams.

How is co-creative leadership different from collaborative leadership? Collaboration often still puts the leader at the centre of decisions. Co-creative leadership goes further — it actively builds the capacity of others to lead, make decisions, and own outcomes. The leader becomes a voice among many, not the final word on everything.

Where do I start if I want to become a more co-creative leader? Start with skill one. Notice your impact in the next conversation you lead. Count to seven after your next question. See what happens. Steffan's free five-skill handbook also includes a self-assessment that shows you exactly where to focus first.