Your yearly round-up.

Searching for actionable insights to level up in the New Year? To work smarter, lead better, and communicate with impact?

Consider this your 2024 Playbook: a list of 21 "How-tos.”?

How to delegate without fear. How to declutter your workload. How to build trust that sticks. How to tell stories that inspire action.

Ready to dive in?

Practice and repeat.

?? You can become better at anything you do. ????

Talent isn’t doled out at birth, kicking and screaming—it’s earned through deliberate practice. The kind of practice that makes you sweat, stumble, and sometimes scream all over again.

Master cooking, critical thinking, or even cartwheels by putting in the reps. No shortcuts, no hacks—just a roadmap to real improvement.

Discover how to show up (the right way) in "Practice and repeat."

Delegation is trust.

???? Letting go is a test of trust. ????

Here’s the deal: if you’re doing it all, you’re not leading—you’re bottlenecking. Delegation requires trust, but trust doesn’t just show up one day with a gift basket.?

It’s built, brick by brick, with clarity, competence, and connection (hello, the six Cs of trust).

No trust? No delegation. No delegation? No scale.

Master how to let go in "I delegate" and "Unpacking trust."

Radical simplicity.

??Complexity is killing your productivity. ????

From container ships to streaming services like Netflix, disruptors succeed because they simplify.?

Every extra step, redundant process, or bloated meeting is a drain on your time and energy. Radical simplicity isn’t about doing less—it’s about eliminating the unnecessary and focusing on what truly matters.

How to declutter and streamline with 6 rules: "Radical simplicity."

More perfect communication.

?? Say less. Mean more. Repeat. ????

Perfect communication, like Star Trek’s mindmeld doesn’t exist, but better communication? That’s doable. It’s not about talking louder or longer—it’s about being concrete, actionable, and clear.

You’re the communicator. The burden is on you, not your audience. (Yes, you.)

Sharpen how you speak in "More perfect communication."

Writing well.

??? Write well. Communicate clearly. Lead better. ????

The best writing doesn’t meander; it moves.?

Great writers follow simple rules: get to the point fast, write for your audience (not yourself), and leave jargon at the door.?

How to write with impact: "Writing well."

The beginning.

?? How you start is everything. ????

First impressions matter. Think about your favorite movie intro (for myself, Star Wars and “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”). Beginnings set the stage with purpose.

Nail your next pitch or presentation. Start with The Story. Start it well.

Discover how openings operate in "The beginning."

Get s*** done.

?Are you getting to outcomes or pushing them off? ????

In 1910, the Ford assembly line cut car production time from 12 hours to 90 minutes. Less time, more cars.

That’s execution validating strategy: not being busy—but creating outcomes. The best teams don’t just check boxes; they move the needle.

Deeds, not words, that matter.

Obtain results with how to "Get s*** done."

Go faster.

??? Haste kills speed. ????

In F1, teams spend millions to shave tenths of a second.

Every unnecessary step, delayed decision, and wasted minute slows you down. High-performing teams, like F1 racers, achieve speed through alignment, feedback, and relentless optimization.

It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing better, faster.

How to gain an edge in "Go faster."

Driving change.

??Why does change fail? (Hint: check your story.) ????

Leaders trying to drive change need two stories: one about the destination (“Where are we going?”) and one about the journey (“How do we get there?”).?

Miss one, and your change effort is dead in the water.

Learn how to build momentum with your "Change story."

OKRs translate strategy into action.

?? OKRs are more than a form—you know that, right? ????

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are simple in theory but need practice..?

Whether you’re new to the framework or looking to refine your approach, there are three phases you need to lock down:

1?? Write OKRs that connect the dots between your day-to-day work and your goals.

2?? Stress-test your OKRs. Are they clear? Ambitious? Achievable? (You did test them, didn’t you?)

3?? Embed OKRs into your team’s DNA and use them to drive real outcomes.

Discover how to implement OKRs with "Beginning OKRs," "Testing OKRs," and "Running OKRs."

The 20/80 rule.

??? You talk more than you listen. It should be the other way around. ?????

Here’s the secret: People don’t want to hear YOUR brilliant ideas (well, not all of them). They want YOU to listen. Flip the classic script—spend 20% of the conversation talking and 80% focused on THEM.?

Stop hogging the mic.

How to flip the balance in "The 20/80 rule." (A guest article from Dave Frost)

The product storytelling formula.

?? Great products need great stories. ????

Your product isn’t the hero—your customer is. A great story makes your product a magic bean, turning buyers into heroes on a brighter path.

Product leadership is where this story meets reality: navigating constraints, scaling smartly, and designing for life as it’s lived.?

Create an irresistible product story. Guide it to fruition.

How to crack the code: 12 rules in "Product storytelling" and "Product leadership."

Skills in the Age of AI.

?? AI is coming for your tasks—not your humanity. ????

AI can code, write, and maybe even replace your barista.? But what it can’t do?

Empathize. Experience. Innovate.

Yes, AI is rocking the world, but it still depends on your HUMAN skills. Doubling down on them (and knowing how to) is the smartest move you’ll make this year.?

Think smarter, not harder.

How to prepare for what’s next in "Skills in the age of AI."

Shaping culture.

?? You can’t see culture, but you can feel it. ????

Culture isn’t a policy manual. It’s the invisible force that shapes behavior, drives decisions, and fuels success (or failure).?

Leaders who get this don’t just build organizations—they build movements.

It’s nurture over nature. Nurture wisely.?

How to curate culture with "Shaping culture."

HR as a product.

?? HR doesn’t have to be a headache. Promise. ????

HR gets a bad rap because it’s often stuck in policy land. But what if HR wasn’t about compliance—and instead was about creating tools and systems people actually want? This is what Bob Toohey, Chief People Officer of FIS, is after.

HR as a product, not a policy.

Rethink how HR functions in "HR as a product."

Leadership is storytelling.

?? Hierarchy creates compliance. Stories create commitment. ????

Great leaders don’t just make decisions—they craft narratives. The right story turns skeptics into believers, connecting ideas to action and inspiring teams to move.?

Leadership is more than making moves—it’s making meaning.

Harness how to tell your story in "Leadership stories" and "Storytelling power."

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If you have read this far... Thank you.

My New Year’s resolution is to grow the readership of this newsletter. It got us past 4,000 subscribers. Next year, we’d like to get even more.

Comment with your thoughts on this article and ideas on what you would like to see in future episodes; share the article with colleagues, and if you haven’t yet, please subscribe.

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Gavin.

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and "top 10 highlights."

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There’s a book coming!

Story Business. How stories and ideas make the world go round, and...

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Shout out.

The incomparable Eugene Yoon does many of the illustrations for this newsletter. She is amazing; ably assisted from time to time by Alexandra McMahon. And thank you, Giovanni Olla, for the legwork, edits, and revisions.?