Leaders work for their people, not the other way around

Executive overview

Most leaders get the power dynamic backwards. The moment you understand you work for everyone beneath you, you become capable of real leadership.

Humility is the sheer superpower of leadership.

Hiring is guessing. Promoting and firing is knowing. Speed on both — especially recognising great people early — is what separates good leaders from stagnant ones.

Hire fast, fire fast, promote fastest

• Hiring is inherently a guess — stop overthinking it
• Fire faster; keeping a talented but toxic person destroys culture
• Promote fastest: when you spot someone great, act immediately — title, money, or just a direct human conversation
• Time spent with people is not optional; 30-minute check-ins and dinners build loyalty that compounds over years
• Retention is earned, not expected

Speaking truth in organisations that resist change

• Advance your career through historical correctness — say what you actually believe
• Staying quiet when you know something is wrong makes you the fall guy when it fails
• Raise uncomfortable truths respectfully: point to a competitor, ask the awkward question
• Dying on your own sword is better than dying on someone else's
• If nothing changes and you can't tolerate it, leave — that is the accountable move
• Complaining without action is a losing strategy; audit who you complain to