Leadership ​

Notes ​

• If you are in a leadership position, part of your job is to say "no" on behalf of others who don't have the security to do so.
• Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.
• My advice for young people starting out in their careers: choose leaders who are competent, compassionate, and secure in themselves (not just pretending to be). Careers are long, and early role models have a disproportionately large impact on your trajectory—for better or worse.
• Be the senior you needed when you were a junior.
• Elon Musk is present in all design reviews. It's always ok to contradict another person's opinion & accept you being wrong.
• Leaders must pursue excellence everywhere, at all times. The product of excellent and mediocre is mediocre. Organizations devolve to their lowest common denominator. Leading this way is exhausting. But if you’re not willing to make the sacrifice, please move out of the way.
• How to make what you work on great: Clear vision and objective function. Great leadership. Small, elite, cross-functional teams. Focus on excellence all around. Obsession with building an amazing product that delights customers. Intellectual honesty. And intense work ethic.
• Nothing destroys an organization faster than a leader with the desire to be well liked.
• One of the best leadership traits you can have is craving brutally honest feedback, receiving it without defense, and acting on it at breakneck speed. No time for stagnation as a leader, we have to change and grow.

Links ​

• Ask HN: How to speak like a leader, not like an engineer? (2019)
• Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership (especially for tech teams)
• Leadership Library for Engineers
• Ask HN: What makes a good technical leader – any recommended books? (2020)
• Don't Create Chaos (2020) (HN)
• The surprising traits of good remote leaders (2020) (HN)
• Open Leadership Framework
• Awesome Leadership and Management
• Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify — The Art of Seeing Around Corners, Two-Year Missions, Top Books, and the Essence of Fire Soul (2020)
• Soft Skills in Engineering Leadership (2021) (HN)
• Ask HN: What was the biggest leadership challenge of your career? (2021)
• Conscious Leadership - Set of principles designed to promote curiosity.
• What steps to take if your reports are burned out? (2021)
• Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList, explains why you don't need to be CEO (2021) (Tweet)
• From tech founder to CEO (2020)
• How to crash an airplane – Nickolas Means (2016)
• Leadership Program - Ascend
• Webflow Tech Lead Guide
• Ask HN: I’d like to hire a personal/executive assistant – any tips or advice? (2021)
• My Failures in Leadership at Sushi
• What’s the worst leadership advice you’ve heard?
• Swinging the Pendulum principle
• Levels of Technical Leadership (2022)
• Awesome Data Leadership
• Strategy 101: An Introduction to Power (HN)