This document contains advice and thoughts on leadership and management. It cautions leaders to listen to honest feedback from their employees, avoid micromanaging, and support their employees by providing needed resources. It emphasizes communicating openly, avoiding intimidation tactics, and focusing on solving problems rather than blaming.

1. Thoughts that keep me up at
night.

2. • If your people trust you enough to
tell you the truth,
don't get pissy when you don't like
what you hear from them

3. • Get out of the weeds and stay there.

4. • If you hire someone to call bullshit,
realize that you might be the one
they call bullshit on.

5. • Crazy rolls down hill

6. • Fear rolls down hill

7. • Workaholism rolls down hill...
Slow down and go the fuck home.
Till you do, they won't.

8. • The beatings will continue until
moral improves…
Come on, you know this ain't true...
your people need to know that they
have your support.
When people tell you they need
help, trust them.

9. • Do you want me to solve the problem
or communicate with you about all
these things: how we think we might
approach solving the problem, how
people will react if we don't solve
the problem, finding alternatives to
the problem, creating alternative
solutions out of thin air at a
moments notice?

10. • Communication is a two way street.
If you ask for updates, be available
to take them and discuss them.

11. • Don't second guess till you've heard
everything

12. • Kill chicken littles
and devil's advocates.

13. • Tell me what to do,
or how to do it,
but not both

14. • If you really want it done,
commit the proper resources

15. • Stop calling meetings at the drop of
of a goddamn hat.

16. • Ask a techie what he/she has seen
that week that got them excited.

17. • Abandon all formality!
When everything is in the toilet,
the last thing we need is a bunch of
pompous asses that can't talk to each
other.

18. You can't intimidate me:

19. – I'm smarter,
faster,
more dangerous than you can imagine.

20. – I'm also more calm,
more passionate,
and more kind

21. – I care more about the people who are
doing the work.

22. – I care more about the people who are
doing the work.

23. – I speak truth to stupid, and/or power.

24. – I'll tell the emperor that he/she is buck
naked.

25. • If you don't have a better idea or
solution to the problem,
don't second guess mine.

26. • Telling your people that "this is
very serious", "I have some serious
concerns", that "this problem has
been elevated to the upper echelons"
does no good in the long term. It
may get your battle won, but you are
losing your soldiers and your
war. You can only go to that well a
few times before you are shot by
friendly fire.

27. • Till you can reliably measure
work, in a way the the measurement
doesn't get in the way of the actual
work, any project will take at least
3 times as long as you think it will
and cost at a minimum 1.5 times as
much as you think it will.

28. • C-level executives observing a
problem creates more problems.
If you don't understand the problem
or don't have a solution,
get out of sight and out of the way.

29. • Tell your people that you support
them and that you'll get them
anything they need to get the job
done.