There is no recipe for becoming a great leader.
But this checklist will get you close: CLARITY

🔳Vision: everyone knows where we're going and why it matters

🔳Roles: crystal clear who does what, owns what, decides what

🔳Standards: non-negotiable behaviors and quality expectations

95% of work problems are caused by one thing: unclear expectations. The manager is frustrated. The employee is confused. Everyone's stuck. Here's my simple playbook you can run to get (and stay) on the same page in 15 minutes: If you're the manager:

Setting expectations is your primary job. If your team doesn't know what you expect, you're failing them. And despite great effort, chances are they're letting you down.

The vicious cycle of frustration builds.

I used to think setting goals for my team was just picking targets. Numbers. Deadlines. Milestones. Then I learned the target matters less than the right mix of goals. Choose poorly and your team's excellent work is wasted. Here are the 3 kinds of goals that actually move teams: 1. Run Goals

These keep the lights on. Ship the release. Hit the quota. Close the tickets.

Teams need them. They're not always inspiring, but they're your Why.

But ff you only set Run goals, you factory is falling behind. And your best people will get bored and leave.

Good intentions don't make great leaders.

Your target week: 10% strategy, 25% talent, 65% ops. Your reality: 2% strategy, 8% talent, 90% ops.

Too many leaders let ops crowd out everything. Here's my ideal leadership week, and how I make it a reality: 10% on strategy.

This is NOT "think strategically" when there's time.

It's scheduled. Blocked. Protected. No phone. Where is the market heading? What's changing? Where do we win?

Realty is coming fast these days. Make the space to see it and adjust.

The leaders I work with are drowning. Too many 1:1s. Too many memos. Too many decisions they're not ready for. I used to be one of them. Then I built a second brain. Now I prep in minutes, not hours. Here are 5 painful parts of managing that got 10x easier: 1. Prepping for 1:1s.

Used to take me 15 minutes per report, if I bothered. Now my AI Chief of Staff reviews last week's transcript, the project status, and the patterns from the last 3 months.

I walk in with a V1 agenda in 90 seconds. My reports actually feel supported.

Senior execs have Chiefs of Staff. Founders have EAs. Partners have associates. Managers have nothing. That's why you're drowning. Last month I built myself one using Claude Cowork. Here are 3 ways an AI Chief of Staff changed how I lead: 1. It skips years of trial-and-error.

Most managers learn by doing. 8 years of bad 1:1s to find a format. 40 memos to find your voice.

Your AI Chief of Staff starts with proven playbooks on day one. EOS Rocks? SBI feedback? Amazon 6-pager?

Your V1 is most managers' V10.

Do you know what's actually going on with your team? Most managers don't. I got surprised more times than I care to admit. That stopped when I created my quarterly pulse check. Here are the 11 questions I used: MISSION

1. I understand and am motivated by the team's mission.
2. At least 80% of my work contributes directly to that mission.

Why it matters: People need to feel connected to something bigger. These tell you if you have a communication problem or a work design problem.

Every leader I talk to is under the same pressure. Make AI work. Now. But while you're building the roadmap, your competitors are pulling away. Not because they have better technology. Because their teams were ready. Here are 5 tests to know if yours is: Test #1: The Availability Test

Do your policies make it easy for your team to use AI tools?

If No... you don't have an AI strategy. You have an AI aspiration.

Locked down tools and endless approvals slow you down while everyone else speeds up.

As a manager, my 1:1s were broken for years. I cancelled on my best people. Used the time as a live status report. Did most of the talking. I thought I was leading. I wasn't even managing. Here are 4 tests to know if your 1:1s are actually working... Test #1: The Ownership Test

Who sets the agenda and drives the meeting?

If it's you, they're not owning their role. You're still doing it and they're just a glorified helper.

The moment they own the agenda, they own their job.

That might feel risky, but that's leading.

As a manager, I spent years thinking my job was a juggling act. Keep a bunch of things moving along. What a waste. Hired people we didn't need. Built systems nobody used. There was only one problem worth solving: the bottleneck. Here's how to find yours... Step 1: Supply vs. Demand

Is your problem internal? (Can't produce enough.)
Or upstream? (Not enough work.)

These are two distinct problems. Opposite sides of the ledger. One needs you to build. One needs you to hunt.

Any effort to improve the other side is wasted.

Some leaders are superhuman. Deliver outsized results. Fastest to respond. Zoom in on the key detail everyone else missed. We used to just admire them. Now we can become them. Here are 10 short videos to become an AI-powered leader: 1. Your AI-Powered Management Diagnostic

• Diagnose your strengths and blind spots
• Turn diagnostic data into clear insights
• Build a 90-day improvement roadmap

maven.com/p/a8f4d9/leade…

If you struggle to take critical feedback, read this: The common advice on this topic is more suited for the playground than the boardroom:

-> Don't take it personally
-> Don't get emotional
-> Count to 10

WT(actual)F?

If you’re an accomplished professional trying to grow and deliver real impact, this is your roadmap.

Most people overcommunicate. They ramble. The dive into the weeds. They lose their audience. And in doing so, lose their credibility. Change how you think and you'll change what you say. And how you say it. Headlines. Punchlines. Here's my 5-step formula to find your voice: Step 1: Define Winning

Before anything else, answer this question:

"I win if [who] does [what]?"

Example: "I win if my VP approves additional headcount."

Without a target, you're shooting from the hip. With it, you're building a targeted case.

As a manager, one of my biggest regrets is losing top performers. They said they we're leaving for a "better opportunity." I figured they left for more money. Turns out, they left because I failed these 3 tests: Test #1: The Autonomy Test

Are they empowered to make decisions, including improving how the work gets done?

If No, they're micromanaged, not trusted.

Top performers don't want to execute your plan. They want to shape it. Give them co-ownership or watch them find it elsewhere.

Great teams don't just do the basics better. They obsess over timeless principles others ignore.

The 8 Habits of High-Performing Teams: 1. Contagious Improvement

They fix small cracks daily.
Before they become chasms.
Before they become catastrophes.

Excellence spreads.
Or excellence leaves.

It's allergic to deferred maintenance.

The new normal: Every people manager is an engineering manager now. Your new job? Decide what work belongs to humans, what to hand to AI, and how to build a system where both get better over time. Here's how: Delegate to AI when:

• The task is structured, repeatable, or data-heavy
• You can check the output before it ships
• You want speed and scale

AI is your leverage, not your replacement.

As a manager, my biggest regret is tolerating missed deadlines. I thought I was being understanding. I was actually teaching my team that commitments were optional. And whatever you tolerate becomes your new standard. Here are 3 tests to establish accountability: Test #1: The Clarity Test

Can they articulate exactly what's due, when it's due, and what "done" looks like?

If No, you have an expectations problem, not a performance problem.

Accountability requires alignment first. You can't hold people to standards you haven't defined.

Leadership doesn't require anyone's permission. All it requires is your initiative. It's about your actions and attitude. Your skills and systems. And anyone can step up. Here's how: Show Up
→ Presence matters.
Be there, especially when it's hard.

Set The Tone
→ Energy is contagious.
Make yours worth catching.

Do The Work
→ No shortcuts.
Set the standard through your actions.

Firing people sucks. The only thing worse is being fired. It is easiest to push the idea from your mind. Ignore it. But in each life, there are moments that matter 100x more than others. Those are worth being prepared for. This is one of those moments. Here's how to be ready: Watch the Radar

Layoffs rarely surprise.

Internal: Slowed spending? Frozen hiring? Leaders distracted by "secret" projects? Why? They stop the bleeding before cutting deeper.

External: Layoffs at competitors? Fundraising stalled? Ask: How different is your company?

Unclear expectations cause 95% of problems at work. The manager is frustrated. The employee is confused. Everyone loses. Here's my simple playbook for managers and employees to get on the same page fast: If you're the manager:

Setting expectations is your primary job.

If your team doesn't know what you expect, you're failing them. And despite great effort, chances are they're letting you down.

The vicious cycle of frustration builds.

I've trained 1400+ managers. They all struggle with delegation. The issue isn't assigning work. It's ensuring the work gets done well without micromanaging. Here's a simple 5-step system for helping your team succeed: 1. Create Clarity

Establish 5 parameters upfront:

• Outcome: What success looks like
• Quality: What signals done
• Method: Agree on how the work gets done
• Timeline: Set clear milestones and deadlines
• Risk: The boundaries for autonomy