Life by Design

Build a life by design, not by accident — and leave behind a story worth telling.

People

Build the right team

Purpose: Leadership is multiplied through people. You can’t do it all yourself. Your success is limited by your ability to build, develop, and empower a team. The right people make everything easier. The wrong people make everything harder. Most leadership failures are people failures—keeping the wrong people too long, not investing in the right people, failing to give clear feedback, hoarding responsibility instead of delegating. Great leaders are ruthless about who’s on the team and generous with how they develop them. People are your greatest asset or your greatest liability. There’s no middle ground.

Core Idea: Get the right people. Build trust. Develop them. Let them lead.

The 5 core principles:

1
Hire slow, fire fast
Hire with rigor: multiple interviews, references, culture + skill tests. A rushed hire costs months of productivity and morale. Once it’s clearly wrong, move quickly—don’t delay the inevitable. “Fire fast” isn’t careless; it’s courageous clarity.
2
Build trust
Trust is built in small, consistent actions: do what you say, follow through, admit mistakes, protect your team. Treat people as humans, not just producers. With trust, everything moves faster; without it, everything breaks.
3
Give direct feedback
No hinting, no sugarcoating. Be specific, timely, and behavior-focused. “You missed the deadline,” not “You’re unreliable.” Direct ≠ harsh—it’s honest and helpful. Clarity is kindness; avoidance is neglect.
4
Develop others
Teach what you know. Give stretch assignments. Coach, don’t just correct. Short-term it’s slower; long-term it multiplies your impact. Leaders who hoard knowledge stay small. Developers scale.
5
Delegate and empower
Hand off responsibility and authority. Define the outcome and the “why,” then let them own the “how.” Allow smart risks and learning. If every decision routes through you, you’re not leading—you’re limiting.

OUTCOME: A team that executes without you micromanaging. People who grow, contribute, and lead. Freedom to focus on what only you can do because your team is handling the rest.

START HERE: Identify one person on your team who’s in the wrong seat. Have the hard conversation this week. Then identify one person with potential. Invest 30 minutes teaching them something they need to grow.