• Understanding how your CEO and leaders think is 10 times as valuable as knowing what they think. Send your team weekly summaries with verbatim quotes from leadership meetings plus your interpretation of why they said it.

• Use “magic questions” to decode how people think: Make statements ending with “Do you agree?” instead of asking open-ended questions. This forces you to form hypotheses and calibrate your judgment faster.

• When someone important thinks negatively about you at work, don’t defend yourself or explain. Instead, take one small action that demonstrates the opposite of what you’re afraid they think. This “counterprogramming” technique stops negative spirals and builds career resilience.

People avoid difficult work not due to lack of skill but fear of failure and criticism.

Apply behavioral activation from cognitive behavioral therapy to management: Act first, feel better later (not the reverse). If your team is stuck, give them one tiny action to take immediately rather than waiting for motivation.

You’re not the protagonist in your company’s story—the CEO is. Your job isn’t to get your ideas implemented but to brilliantly operationalize the CEO’s vision. Find where you can add unique value within that framework.

Most PMs are “playing on easy mode”

The real craft challenges are in regulated industries, vulnerable populations, and complex business models.

• Ask in every one-on-one: “What did you do for joy today?” If they say nothing, that’s a problem to solve. High performance requires active rest, just like athletes need recovery.

Create reward loops that actually change behavior by making them powerful, immediate, and emotional

• Build your team’s confidence to speak in meetings by teaching them they’re “paying a cost” by staying silent—every additional person makes meetings less candid. Help them earn their seat through valuable contributions.

1. When you disagree with leadership decisions, go through the “What if I’m wrong?” exercise. Ask yourself: “In what world does this make sense?” Often you’ll discover insights you were missing.