tl;dr:Wes shares how to distinguish between good and bad struggle. The “hard thing” is not necessarily better for you simply because it’s hard. We have to stop blindly equating pain with growth, because sometimes pain does lead to growth, but other times, it’s a sign the environment you’re in is a bad fit.
tl;dr:“When we want to impress, we often feel the urge to name every single thing we’ve done. Every skill we have. Every client we’ve ever worked with. Anything we’ve attempted. We think the more we add to the list, the greater our accomplishments will seem. But more isn’t always better. Sometimes it’s actually worse. Why? People judge us based on the average of our accomplishments, not the cumulative. With averages, adding items can actually reduce your overall perceived value.”
tl;dr:“First, the thing you give airtime to tends to grow in importance in people’s minds. This is why you should avoid incepting negative ideas. Ideas are fuzzy until you put them into words, either spoken or written. The longer you give it airtime, and the more you repeat it, the more real and concrete it becomes.”
tl;dr:“Insights are a dime a dozen. Suggestions are a bit better, but still let you off the hook. Assertions are the realm of professionals who navigate ambiguity and rigorous thinking. Assertions make an idea real. The sooner the ball gets rolling, the sooner you can iterate to make the idea better.”
tl;dr:“Having the right words can be the difference between doubting whether to speak up at all, or voicing your point of view confidently. With that, here are 7 phrases I often use when sharing feedback that makes it easier for me to speak openly and quickly, and encourages my recipient to take action.“
tl;dr:“Having the right words can be the difference between doubting whether to speak up at all, or voicing your point of view confidently. With that, here are 7 phrases I often use when sharing feedback that makes it easier for me to speak openly and quickly, and encourages my recipient to take action.“
tl;dr:“But” is a negating word. It cancels out whatever comes before it. Most people use a structure of saying, “The positive thing, but the negative thing,” which accidentally cancels out all the positive stuff. Wes shares a better approach.
tl;dr:“Rigorous thinking is asking critical questions about tactics, and having a systematic way of making decisions. It isn’t a single mental model. It’s an approach to problem solving that allows you to deconstruct ideas, gain clarity, and make decisions that are far more likely to be right.” Wes shares her playbook for leaders here.
tl;dr:“If you say “good enough” and there are 50 operators listening, it can be expected that there will be 50 different ideas of what “good enough” means. This is a problem (and opportunity) for you.”
tl;dr:Wes introduces "Eyes Light Up" as a key indicator of effective messaging for leaders. Rather than relying on intellectual feedback, she advises watching for genuine excitement in your audience's eyes. These visceral reactions are more valuable than verbal responses. Stop when eyes glaze over, pivot when interest wanes.