how to work

you actually don't need everyone to understand you or what you do and you're probably working on something too safe if they all easily do. your knowing you don’t need them to understand is also exactly what makes them want to

Anna Wintour’s biography turned into maxims:

1. Hire talented people as found, not as needed.

2. Taste is as rare as a unicorn.

3.Your employees should describe you as “easy to understand.”

4.Pretend to be completely in control and people will assume that you are.

5.Have a sharp eye for the weaknesses of others.

6.Combine ruthless efficiency with hyp... See more

Managing up 101: Make it insanely easy to give you feedback. One of my direct reports sent this Slack DM and it's a masterclass in simple, direct communication. No guessing where to find docs. No follow-up questions on timing. No confusion about priority levels. She made it easy--and in less than 1 hour, I was able to provide feedback, give ap... See more

Not sure if anything changed my approach to work and engineering in the past five years more than this passage from @Lethain, written in the context of staff engineering but much more broadly applicable.

More recently I’ve kept repeating to myself, don’t abandon your vision . Decisiveness is knowing myself well enough to take the plunge, then the rest is all faith.