Principle #23 – Diagnose before you prescribe. If doctors worked like some leaders, they’d say:“You’re coughing? Here’s surgery. Also, take these horse pills.” Ridiculous, right? Yet in business, we do it all the time—jumping to solutions before we even understand the problem. Quick fixes feel good, like handing out aspirin for every ache. But if
Principle #21 – Don’t get stuck addressing symptoms. Quick fixes feel good, don’t they? A problem pops up, you swoop in, and—boom—issue resolved. Cue the hero music. But then it pops up again. And again. That’s not hero work; that’s hamster wheel work. When we only treat symptoms, we accidentally feed the problem. We create
Principle #19 – Start where the other is. Ever had a conversation where you explained your point perfectly—clear logic, solid data, flawless delivery—and they still didn’t get it? That’s because you started from your mountain, not theirs. We love to think people will come around if we just talk louder or add another chart. But
Principle #18 – Communication is more than saying words. Ever leave a meeting thinking, “I heard every word, but I have no idea what they just said”? That’s because communication isn’t just words—it’s connection. We’ve all seen it: the sales rep powering through their pitch, oblivious to confused faces. Or the manager who sends a
Principle #17 – Decisions go where they belong. Ever sat in a meeting thinking, “Why am I even deciding this?” If you’re honest, you probably have. Leaders often hoard decisions like Halloween candy, believing it’s “safer” if they approve everything. Spoiler: it’s not. It slows things down, burns you out, and disempowers the very people
Principle #16 – Trust comes after cooperation. In that order. We love to talk about “building trust” in teams, as if it’s a mystical aura you conjure with enough vulnerability exercises and inspirational posters. But here’s the kicker: trust doesn’t show up first. Cooperation does. Think about it—most of us say, “I’ll trust them when
Principle #12 – Real skin-in-the-game creates true accountability. Ever notice how people take way better care of rental cars when the deposit is $500? That’s skin in the game—when the outcomes of a decision hit you directly. Why It Works Accountability isn’t about job titles or performance reviews. It’s about feeling the impact of your
Principle #11 – Every solution is first a hypothesis. Reality test. Here’s a secret scientists know that many leaders forget: the first solution is almost always wrong. Or at least, incomplete. We fall in love with our ideas because they feel elegant and clever—“This will fix everything!” But in reality? Every solution is just a
People Energy Principle #9 – People do things for reasons, not always the reasons they give you. You’ve been there:A key project is running late. You finally corner the responsible person and ask why. They look you in the eye and give you a perfectly reasonable explanation—unexpected delays, busy schedule, competing priorities. Sounds legit. You
People Energy Principle #7 – Change Change People by Assuming They Can’t Change You’ve probably heard it before: “People can change if they really want to!” Cute. Inspiring. Totally unreliable as a leadership strategy. The Hard Truth Most people don’t dramatically change who they are just because you gave them a pep talk or a
