Articles
Short essays on how to think about building things.
- Lead With the Conclusion Apr 2026
Put the recommendation in the second sentence. Make the numbers earn their place. The rest exists to defend the line you already drew.
- Write Like the Reader Is in a Hurry Apr 2026
Volunteer the wart, pre-empt the friction, layer for two readers. Most writing assumes the reader has time.
- A Problem Is Not a Fix Request Jun 2026
Remove the solution from the statement. What's left? If nothing, you started with a fix.
- Operating With Clarity Apr 2026
Weasel words hide thinking. First principles, real questions, and the courage to say the thing and defend it.
- Symptoms Aren't Problems Apr 2026
A truck stuck under a bridge. Most people fix what they can see. The work is finding the constraint underneath.
- The Position Problem Jun 2026
The most expensive creative blind spot isn't lacking taste. It's lacking the position to use the taste you already have.
- Find the Root Apr 2026
Stop one "why" too early and you fix a contributing factor. The root is where the answer changes category.
- Instrument Your Work Feb 2026
Ship the feature, then stay curious. Push business metrics, close the loop, and your accomplishments write themselves.
- Assume It Works Out May 2026
Assumption without action is wishful thinking. Action without assumption is anxious grinding.
- Optimizing for Signal May 2026
Noise is a liability. Signal is where investment happens. A single notification doesn't cost 30 seconds. It costs 23 minutes.
- The Picture Comes First Jun 2026
When you ask people to envision where they want to be, most have nothing. Not a vague idea — nothing. That is where plans fall apart before they begin.
- The Illusion of Understanding May 2026
The danger isn't what you don't know. It's what you're certain you know that you don't.
- Define Quality Before You Measure It May 2026
If you don't define what high performance looks like before you measure it, the measurement will define it for you.
- Problems vs. Pressure Jun 2026
A problem is something to solve. Pressure is something to carry. Applying problem-solving logic to what you're meant to endure makes things worse.
- Plug the Leaks May 2026
Your money, attention, time, and emotional energy are all leaking somewhere right now. The question is whether you are looking for them.
- Information Is Not a Point May 2026
Most work communication transfers information. Almost none of it commits to a conclusion. The gap between those two is where communication fails.
- Goals That Transform You Jun 2026
Bad goals keep you busy. Good goals change who you are. The test is simple: if you achieve it and you're the same person, you aimed too low.
- The Case You're Not Making May 2026
Your CV and performance review are arguments, not diaries. Most people write the wrong document.
- The Problem Behind the Problem Jun 2026
The first problem you name is almost never the problem worth solving. Learning to stay sensitive, dig to root cause, and think laterally is what separates teams that make progress from teams that stay busy.