The Great CEO within

notes

• 维持创造者思维， creation is about building

  • 维持创造者思维，专注于 将脑中的想法转变为可工作的最小实现的过程
  • an app is an act of self-expression, the same way a novel, a painting, a lego starship, or a gourmet meal is
    • The difference is you can distribute your app to millions of people from your spare room over a phone line, so the potential impact of your creation is enormous
    • you can do the same with a blog post or an ebook, but a software app is a utility as well as a work of art. If you make a great one, it can become an intimate part of your users' everyday life, like their fork or belt.

• learn how to propose better solutions

  • the first thing you should do is define the problem, your idea for the solution, your target user base

  • Do your research. know all the existing solutions out there, and exactly how your spec is different and better

  • start mocking up screens. Get in deep

  • defining great specifications is a more important part of creating digital tools than writing the code itself

    • what your one-sentence description will be when your app appears in a store

  • reference

    • Please Do Learn How to Propose Better Solutions

• digital business

• work in small teams/companies with the lean members

• 对于 “不确定性大的事情” 的选择

  • 这个选择会不会扩大视野，加深认知
  • 你到底在害怕什么？
  • 认真地做当下能做的最好的选择，未来就会是它最好的样子； 放下对未来的期待和担忧

• ownership and result (责任和风险)

  • Entrepreneurs tolerate uncertainty more than any other profession

  • self-taught, skilled, emotion-intelligent, in shape, energetic, focuses on internal control

    • learning by doing > learning by asking for advice

  • 不是 insight, 也不是 execution

  • I define it, although I respect you

  • 愿意 出面担当，在不确定的项目中，冒着犯错的风险尝试

    • 大多华裔，太怕犯错，不敢担责，不敢为人先，之在后面嘀咕

  • work with people I respect and like

    • 只需要说服愿意去相信你和支持你的那一部分人即可，并和他们一起工作就可以； 没有必要说服所有人
    • 把重心放在 证明你自己的能力和判断上；无须为别人的无知和傲慢负责

• Talk about your company with the confidence

  • Tell one's story in a humble way
    • credit: 'it could not have happened without [name the others involved]'
    • hard work: 'we had to put in so much to make it happen, for example, [describe the hard work]'
    • Vulnerability: 'it was most difficult for me when '
    • Duty: 'we were driven by our dream to [noble motive]'
    • Gratitude: 'I am so proud and thankful that ...'

HBR Guide on Being a Great Boss

• What Being a Great Boss Means

  • ch1 Pick up on the uniquness and then to figure out how best to incorporate those enduring idiosyncrasies into the overall plan

    • her strengths -> self-assurance
      • "What was the best day at work you've had in the past three months?"
      • find out what the person was doing and why he enjoyed it so much
      • intrinsically satisfying that one looks forward to doing it again and getting better at it over time
      • emphasizing the size and the difficulty of the employee's goals
      • training, partner, recognition
    • the triggers that activate those strenghts
      • constantly tweaking your env so that the unique contribution
    • how she learns
      • analyzing
        • understands a task by taking it apart, examining its elements, and reconstructing it piece by piece
        • give her ample time, and role-play with here
      • doing
        • trial and error
        • pick a specific task whithin his role
      • watching
        • view the complete picture
        • make her ride shotgun with one of your most experienced performers

  • ch2 Managing Authenticity - the paradox of great leadership

    • Like chameleons, capable of adapting to the demands of the situations they face and the people they lead, yet they do not lose their identities in the process

    • Steps to help others perceive you as an authentic leader

      • Get to know yourself and your origins better by
        • familiarize yourself with your identity anchors - the people, places, and events that shaped you. Share these discoveries with others who have had similar experiences
        • returning to your roots
        • seek new adventures, and take some risks
        • ask for 360-degree feedback from close colleagues, friends, family

      • Get to know others better by

        • find out about people's backgrounds, families, obsessions
        • care deeply about the work your people do
        • letting others know what's unique (and authentic) about them
        • selectively show a weakness or vulnerability that reveals your approachability to your direct reports, assistants

      • Connect to the organizational context better by

        • getting the distance right
          • Use both your sense of self and your understanding of your origins to connet with, or to separate yourself from others
        • prepare yourself by learning about and understanding your own values
        • detect the subtle social clues

  • ch3 are you a good boss - or a great one?

    • management is responsibility but done by exerting influence

      • prep

        • begin with a quick preview of the coming day's events

        • how use the event to develop as a manager

          • how you can work on your specific learning goals
          • how you might do that - to whom, what questions you should ask, what boundaries or limits you should set, what preliminary coaching you might provide

        • before taking any action, step back and consider how it might help you become better

      • do

        • use the new and different approaches you planned

      • review

        • examine what you did and how it turned out

          • which actions worked well? what might you have done differently? compare what you did with what you might have done. did u practice any new behaviors or otherwise make progress on your journey?

          • keep notes about how you spend your time, along with thoughts about what you learned

    • Manage yourself

      • From people's trust in you as a manager

        • belief in your competence - you know what to do and how to do it
        • belief in your character - your motives are good and you want your people to do well

    • Manage your network

      • with integrity and for good ends, they proactively engage the organization to create the conditions for their success

      • they build and nurture a broad network of ongoing relationships with those they need and those who need them; that is how they influence people over whom they have no formal authority

      • they also take responsibility for making their boss , a key member of their network, a source of influence on their behalf

    • Manage your team

      • team culture

        • team's values, norms, and standards are; how members are expected to work together (what kind of conflict is acceptable or unacceptable) how they should communicate

      • provide the attention members need, but always in the context of the team

      • know how to lead a team through the work it does to make progress toward the goal

• Build Trust and Listen

  • ch4 Do you really trust your team?

    • Trust they will follow through on their responsibilities

      • create an env that encourages open communication
        • bring a dashboard of their work
        • set clear standards for assessing performance at the start of a project
          • this way everyone will know what is expected of them and be held mutually accountable for their actions
        • accproach those who may be struggling silently

    • Trust them to bring good judgment

      • talk them through with your team
        • explain the subjective and objective criteria you considered, risks and tarede-offs you assessed, and stakeholder considerations
      • ask them guiding questions when they make a poor judgment call

    • Trust them to respect the psychological safety of others

      • create a culture of appreciation

      • address bullying immediately

      • don't reward bad behavior

  • ch5 Open up to your team - without oversharing

    • open up to your team while still prioritizing their boundaries, as well as your own

      • ask yourself how much of your own worries you should reveal when leading your team down a challenging or unfamiliar road

    • identify your feelings

      • take the time to reflect on the emotion

      • "what exactly am I feeling? Why? What is the need behind this emotion?"

    • need to know how to manage your emotions

      • control your words and body language
      • understanding how much weight the people around you can bear

    • address your feelings without becoming emotionally leaky

      • don't have to go into more details, but acknowledging your feelings helps to avoid unnecessary anxiety among your reports

      • "I'm having a bad day, but it's not becuase of you"

    • provide a path forward

      • aim to be realistic but optimistic
      • "Because of ..., I'm feeling .... But here's what I'm planning to do next to make it better: ... And here's what I need from you ... What do you need from me?"

    • avoid oversharing

      • be curious about your own intentions

      • "how would I feel if my manger said this to me?"

    • read the room

      • pair realism with optimism, and share when you sense it
      • "I'm feeling a little tired today, but I'm grateful for how well we've worked together and that we're set to send the client a proposal we can all be proud of"

  • ch6

    • TODO

  • ch7 How to handle a disagreement on your team

    • use your mediation skills rather than your authority to meet everybody's interest

    • start separately and build empathy

      • gain an understanding of the disagreement and convincing each that you are willing to listen and anxious to understand their concerns
      • using empathy ("that must have been really hard for you") and not sympathy ("I feel sorry for what you have been through")

    • know from both people their positions (what each wants), interests (why, how the position reflects needs and concerns), and priorities (what is more and less important to each and why)

      • asking "why?" or "why not?" to uncover the interests that underlie their positions

  • ch8 What Great Listeners Actually Do

• Give Feedback and Motivate

  • ch9 give your team more-effective positive feedback

    • Offering positive feedback

      • the more specific you are, the better

      • make a list and praise team members for their contributions

      • tell each individual what you want them to start, stop, and continue doing

    • try to understand the emotions the feedback recipient may be feeling

      • explain the reason for the feedback
      • focus on the future: what can your employee do to move forward?

    • pay attention to your facial expressions when you deliver feedback

      • focus on how you deliver the feedback
      • give the feedback by positive emotional signals such as nods and smiles

  • ch10 The right way to hold people accountable - responsibility to an outcome

    • clear expectations

      • summarize the important pieces
        • the outcome you're looking for, how they are going to achieve it

    • clear capability

      • what skills, what resources they need

    • clear measurement

      • weekly milestones with clear, measurable, objective targets
      • brainstorm a solution, identify a fix, redesign the schedule, or respond in some other way

    • clear feedback

      • the feedback can be fact-based and easy to deliver if you have clear expectations, capability, and measurement
      • "is there sth you can be doint to be more helpful?"

    • clear consequences

      • repeat
      • reward
      • release

  • ch11 You can't be a great manager if you're not a good coach

    • Listen deeply
      • your intention to clear your mind, listen with your full attention, and create a high-quality connection

    • Ask open-ended questions

    • follow-up any commitments

    • focus on moving forward positively

      • acknowledge your employee's frustrations, but then encourage her to think about how to move past them

  • ch12 Four Reasons Good employees lsoe their motivation

    • Carefully assessing the nature of the motivational failure - before taking action - is crucial

    • Values mismatch - I don't care enough to do this

      • identify what your employee cares about and how the value links with the task

    • lack of self-efficacy - I don't think I'm able to do this

      • explain that they have the ability to succeed but may have misjudged the effort or invest more effort while expressing confidence

    • I'm too upset to do this

      • tell them you wanna understand why they are upset, and engage in active listening. Be nonjudgemental by asking what the employee believes is causing them to be upset.

  • ch13 - Get Honest, Productive Feedback

    • build a psychologically safe environment

      • Being curious to have sth useful to learn
      • ask open-ended questions

    • when receiving feedback, listen carefully, and vevaluate the accuracy** of the message

    • don't debate or defend

      • if you find yourself disagreeing with some feedback, practice self-awareness and notice this reaction, but do not offer contradictory evidence or challenge your colleague

    • own your reactions

      • recognize that your reactions are about you, and not the other person
      • it's your responsibility to own and explore your reactions. becoming curious about yourself, ask where is this anger really coming from? what about this is confusing? what part of the message is actually true for me, even if I don't wanna acknowledge it?

    • let them know how much you appreciate their effort and courage

    • reflect and evaluate

      • by thinking through the meaning and implication of the feedback, you can learn from it and consider what parts to work on, what parts to disregard, and what parts require deeper understanding.

    • make a plan and take action

      • pick one or two capabilities you wanna improve, get really clear about what "improved" looks like, and then consider the steps necessary for you to learn and adopt that new behavior.

    • sustain progress and share updates

      • you need to repeat new behaviors for 2 months to become new habits
      • tell them what you are doing differently, give them a catalyst to change their perspectives and the opportunity to see you as a person who is committed to your professional development

• Manage Everyone Effectively

  • ch14
  • ch15
  • ch16
  • ch17 - how to manage someone you don't like
    • focus on why you are reacting the way you are
      • be honest with yourself about what situations or attributes make you most irritated
      • is the individual or someone they remind me of?
      • am I afraid of being like this person?
      • are they a member of a group that I have issues with?
    • put on a good face as professional and positive
      • the onus is on you to remain fair, impartial, and composed

• Help All Employees Thrive

• Build Resiliency and Support Mental Health

The Beginning from

• 软体公司成长记

  • 軟體工程師的修煉與成長 (2)

• Make Money, Have Fun, Do Good

• crate a Company

  • Understand real customers and their problem, and then solve that problem

• The Team - an early-stage company with fewer than 20 people

  • Find a partner who has complementary skills

    • your co-founder's purpose is to help you achieve success in your march to product-market fit

  • founding teams should be smaller than six people before product-market fit

  • The first goal should be to achieve real product-market fit

    • morale
      • the env is like a team, chaos is expected
      • people crave the challenge of new things
      • they want things to be hard

    • speed

      • prototype code not industrial code
      • first product should always be viewed as a prototype
      • use it to gather customer feedback only

    • without a formal management

Individual Habits - optimize yourself

• track goals, priorities, and tasks

  • get things done
  • daily review, weekly review, and monthly review

• Schedule two hours each day to work on top goal only

  • top goal for the current quarter

• Be on time and Present

• When you say it twice, write it down

  • to a 2nd audience or in a 2nd situation, just share it in written form

• Gratitude and Appreciation

  • we perform our best when we are having fun and feeling good about ourselves
    • "Great", "Good idea, it was the right thing to do"

  • daily gratitude to yourself

    • as a trigger
    • this only means that you will bring an attitude of joy not desperation when addressign the areas
    • the key is to be as specific as possible
    • "what is good aboutthis situation?"
    • "I am grateful for ... " for names, actions they did, and so on

  • in appreciation - speak to others

    • let them know if you catch yourself feeling grateful about someone or something that they have done
      • as specific as possible

      • "I appreciate you for writing down ... " > "Thank you"

    • the recipient will feel connected
    • you will view the recipient more positively

• Energy audits

  • 80% of your time doing things that energize you

    • "Did that activity give me energy or drain my energy?"

  • keep doing the energy audit each month until 75% of your time is spent doing things that give you energy

  • tasks in Zone of Genius

    • unique good at in the world and that you love to do
    • so that time and space seem to disappear when you do them
    • should be driving toward spending most of your time
    • this is where yo ucan add most value to the world and yourself

  • zone of incompetence

    • should outsource if they don't give you joy
  • zone of competence
    • others are as good as you
    • outsource if they don't give you joy
  • zone of excellence (better than others)
    • but don't love doing
    • look to move away from

• Health and Well-Being

  • Prioritize your helth

  • exercise

    • sign up for group activities or get a trainer
    • get the company to pay for it

  • Mental Health

    • build a CEO support group composed of yoru peers
    • important to have someone to speak to, listen to you, and help feelings flow through you
    • get a therapist
    • meditation

  • Sleep

    • sleep before 11:30pm and get up before 8:00am

    • at least 7 hours

    • write down whatever it is that you woke up think about

      • then transfer it to your GTD system
      • write down all of your next actions, ...

    • if you wake during the night, don't fight it

      • do something soothing, like reading from a paper book

• Financial Health

  • $10 million -> put it into US Treasuries firstly

    • the feeling of safety
    • enough to live a wonderful life

  • 75% of your net worth is liquid asset

Group Habits

• Decision-Making

  • Creating Buy-in a decision

    • the more influence they feel they have on the outcome, the more they'll be invested in the final result

  • Write a draft for an issue or decision

    • proposed solution
    • include both a detailed description of the issue and the proposed solution
      • make a guess
    • invite people to make comments and questions before the meeting
    • write out responses to all of the comments and questrions to bring to the meeting

  • Loudest voice in the room

    • only in method 3 to get full buy-in
    • like require junior people to speak and ask questions first
    • then give more senior folks a chance to give feedback

  • RAPID

• Impeccable Agreements

  • precisely defined and fully agreed to (written) by all relevant people

    • successful follow-through of the agreement
      • like decision with specific actions, responsible individuals, and due dates

  • if you realize you won't be able to keep the agreement

    • let the other members of the agreement circle know, and let them know what you can do
    • give them the opportunity to adjust and maintain productivity

  • if someone doesn't meet an agreement

    • if they apologize, you respond that apologies are not needed
    • the requirement is that they only make agreements that they can commit to
      • and that they meet all the agreements they make
      • or by prompt communication that they need to alter the agreement
      • if the person continues to fail, they can no longer be part of the company

• Transparency

  • Share all relevant information with your team, both positive and negative

• Conscious Leadership

  • direct your team while being more interedted in learning than being right

    • one is open, curious, and committed to learning

  • take full responsibility

    • take full responsibility for one's circumstances

      • physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually

    • locate the cause and control of our lives in ourselves, not in external events

      • "What can we learn and how can we grow from this?" not "Who's to blame?"

  • Self-awareness (know themselves) and learning agility

    • grow in self-awareness
    • regard every interaction as an opportunity to learn

  • Feeling all Feelings

    • feelings are natural and expressing them is healthy
    • every feeling we experience invites us in a specific way to grow in awareness and knowing
    • learn to locate, name, and release their feelings

  • Speaking Candidly

    • seeing reality clearnly is essential to being succesful
      • say what is true for me
      • others can express themselves with candor
  • Joy versus Fear
    • you are motivated by joy
    • Joy is an even better motivator than fear

• Issue Identification and Conflict Resolution

  • when people feel distrust or dislike, usually because they don't feel heard

  • repeak back what you heard

    • "I think I heard you say ... "
    • "That's right"

  • Steps

    • Feeling
      • anger, fear, sadness, joy
    • Fact
      • You did or said ...
    • Story
      • "the thought that I had was that you ... and thus ... "
    • Request
      • "From now on, please say ... "

• Customer Empathy

  • actively listening to their pain

    • "I think i heard you say ... "
    • "It seems that you feel anger when ... "

  • distill feedback and meet with the product team

    • work first on the issues whith the highest customer pain that are the easiest for you to solve

• Company Culture

  • Culture is the unspoken set of rules

  • value

    • kind of statement that needs max buy-in
    • send out a survey, and

  • Fun

    • host events that you enjoy, and invite your team to join you

  • Celebration

    • take a moment to appreciate the good that the company has achieved

  • Operation

Infrastructure

• ch20 - Goal-Tracking System

Collaboration

• ch24 - organizational structure

  • so that everybody understands how it works, and various related ddetails are clarified
  • once you have achieved product-market fit
    • from fewer than 10 members to more than 20 in a short time
    • win the race to market share
  • need to implement a formal management system
    • delineat separate teams with managers

• ch25 - structure meeting system

  • Accountability is declaring -> goals and actions

    • a destincation, and the action steps to get there
    • last week, "for each of your stated actions, did u get them done - yes or no?"
      • if no, what blocked you? what habit can u adopt to?
    • next week, what one action can u take to advance toward?

  • coaching is declaring -> issues and solutions

    • the current health of the entity, both the good and the not good
    • with the not good, what the issue is in detail and a proposed solution
      • this can make requests for help from the manager
    • good ?
    • not good?
      • describe the issue in detail, as weel as your proposed solution.
      • what you can do to solve the issue
      • what I (your manager) can do to help unblock you

  • Transparency is declaring -> feedback

    • feedback to people on what they are doing
    • like - "there are the specific actions that i like that you are doing "
    • Wish that - "thses are the specific actions that i wish you would do differently"
      • please give me that feedback
      • please think of the feedback that you are afraid to give me because you think that it will hurt my feelings

• ch26 - meetings

• ch27 - feedback

  • seek real, honest feedback and improve
  • ask for negative feedback, it will be cherished
    • preferably in a one-on-one setting
    • "If you were CEO, what would you change?"

  • appreciate it

    • your job is to listen and try to understand

  • act on it

  • giving feedback

    • face-facce - "I didn't intend to make you feel angry. My intent was to be helpful"
    • do not use email, text, or voicemail to give feedback, unless 100 positive

ideas from

ideas from

ideas from

reference

• The Great CEO Within
• [HBR Guide on Being a Great Boss]
• [the lean startup]
• [getting real]
• [rework]