Treat rest as a system to recharge.

Resting is productive.

You cannot expose yourself and expect to escape critics.

I had to make peace with that in recent years. Many people saw me as a rival, a risk for their position, or a danger for their beloved status quo.

Reality check: Leadership isn't about being liked.

🧵

Leaders who fixate on "time spent" instead of outcomes are babysitting.

They confuse presence with performance.

Why am I doing this? Because I wish someone had done it for me.

Who am I doing this for? For the people walking the same path I once took.

Simple. Direct. No other reason.

Your team is not assuming ownership when they should.

Critical tasks fall into the crack. You are stressed out.

You leave too much to chance.

🧵

Feedback is just one data point to make decisions.

Always combine it with more data points if you can.

Many feedback misses the point.

I burned out twice.

I know what it does to someone. I know how hard it is to find your path back.

I do everything in my power to help other leaders recover from it.

Best, prevent them from falling into it in the first place.

Solving your problems first, and then use this skill to help others reinforce you again. Positive cycle.

Your team won't own their work. You tank alone, overwhelmed with the burden.

Change is required.

Criticism from the wrong crowd can be proof you're right.

You can't please everyone.

People quickly spot the gap between what's preached and what's lived.

Invest in your own resilience and growth. Inspire others to do the same.

You don't need a title to lead. You don't need permission either.

Leadership is not a position. It's action.

The way you step up in a meeting. The way you take responsibility when things go wrong. The way you create momentum when everyone else stalls.

You can choose it today.

A high performer in the wrong environment, they underperform. A low performer in the right environment, they may overperform.

Be responsible for that environment. Let people take care of the results.

I don't write for everyone. I write for the version of me from 5 years ago.

If he needed it, maybe you do too. If it saved him mistakes, perhaps it saves you some as well.

I paid the price. You get the wisdom for free.

In stressful calls, I have one small trick:

I play video game soundtracks in the background.

Barely noticeable but helps a lot.

My breathing slows. My focus sharpens. My tension drops.

Simple system, but it works.

You tell me about your big ambitions. But you can't even fix your sleep.

Start there. Master the simple things.

If you can't, forget the rest.

1. I'm a cannon. For years, I tried to downplay it.

My personality type isn't just a label; it's how I'm wired.

Consistency always matter more than perfection.

For 16 years I tried to build a solo business. I only made $1,000 so far.

Don't stop.

I hate when I reach the 80% completion of a project. The remaining 20% is the worst for perfectionists.

You have to overcome so much to ship.