Notes on Leadership
I can’t believe we’re at the halfway point of the Summer already. It feels like I just got here last week. =X So I felt like typing up some of the random notes I took from lectures here (they’re usually in a Moleskine Jeff gave me like… ages ago. I finally found a worthy use for it) so they’ll be in a more… permanant form. You know, just in case I get thrown in a pool or something. Not that that’s a fairly common occurence, but I felt that I should give an example. Right, so on to the notes:
* Trust breeds trust. Transparency reduces leaks, builds community.
* When two people are in conflict, first thing to do is to make sure you have the same information.
Generally, smart people given the same information make the same decision. (notable exception are “religious” beliefs - deep seated perspectives)
* Don’t claim to know everything. Killing a great idea early is incredibly easy to do. Ideas are incredibly fragile. Nurture them. Don’t be so quick to close the loop - even bad ideas can lead you on the path to a good one.
* When you see a problem, fix it! Or develop the solution to a stage where others can fix it themselves.
* We often underestimate the importance of giving credit to other people, to thanking other people.
* It’s impossible for a rule to be so well defined that it handles all the corner cases. Use your best judgement, not rules.
* Show humility - ask people when you don’t know the right answer. You’ll be better off.
* When a situation makes you say “I’m afraid of embarrassing myself.” - its a sign for a great opportunity. You’ll be doing plenty of embarrassing things in life - get used to it.
* Having fun is a sign of peak efficiency - it indicates a task that is challenging, but is within your capability. Look for things that feel fun!
