tl;dr:“Incentives are superpowers; set them carefully.” The Cobra Effect is when the solution for a problem unintentionally makes the problem worse. Andrew believe this issue is more widespread than anticipated. He provides several examples, including: everyone sharing feedback directly instead of through managers. This leads to people withholding valuable feedback to maintain relationships or damaging relationships if they can’t share negative feedback elegantly.
tl;dr:Andrew gives us tips on writing, leading with: "I believe in this concept so completely that I’ll take the importance of writing a step further: I find it valuable to write even if only for my own benefit. Writing is a linear process that forces a tangle of loose connections in your brain through a narrow aperture exposing them to much greater scrutiny. In my experience, discussion expands the space of possibilities while writing reduces it to its most essential components."
tl;dr:From the CTO at Meta: "One of the most common anti-patterns I see that can create conflict in an otherwise collaborative environment is people asking for permission instead of advice. This is such an insidious practice that it not only sounds reasonable, it actually sounds like the right thing to do: “Hey, I was thinking about doing X, would you be on board with that?”" Andrew argues that the problem with asking for permission is that you’re implicitly asking someone else to take some responsibility for your decision while asking for advice creates advocates for your idea but doesn't saddle them with responsibility.
tl;dr:15 traits valued by the CTO at Meta: (1) Ownership: Valuing individuals who take full responsibility for their tasks, allowing others to trust that these tasks will be handled competently without constant oversight. (2) Rigor: Preferring team members who think thoroughly and exhaustively, understanding all alternatives, assumptions, and limitations to ensure well-informed decision-making. (3) Bias for Action: Appreciating those who recognize the cost of gathering information and the cost of delay, and who act decisively to maintain progress.
tl;dr:From the CTO at Meta: "Whatever simple explanations lack in nuance, they make up for in power. People remember them. They become the basis for future knowledge... A good team faced with a hard problem will produce a rigorous document. A great team faced with the same problem will produce a single page. People often aspire to explain the complexity they uncover. But the opposite is more valuable."
tl;dr:“Consider the next week of your life. How would you like to spend your time? Write down all the things you’d like to do and assign them rough percentages of how much of your time they should take. Account for your obligations first. With your remaining time try to give more weight to things that give you energy. Focus on tasks that play to your personal strengths. Now audit where you have actually been spending your time without judgement. Resist the temptation to explain the difference between your ideal and actual allocation. I have been doing this exercise every few months for a decade. I haven’t once found that my actual allocation matches my target. So I make corrections to my schedule.”
tl;dr:To avoid bottlenecks in product development, horizontal teams should establish clear guidelines and standards, allowing vertical teams to work efficiently. This frees up time for horizontal experts to focus on complex issues and enables faster progress in the future.
tl;dr:“I relate strongly to the instinct many of us have to do things ourselves rather than involve others. We don’t want to bother them. If we’re being honest, we don’t want to have to. We may worry how it reflects on us. We may worry it means we are failing. But my experience in leadership tells me the exact opposite is true. Someone who tells me when things are going poorly is someone I am going to trust relative to someone who struggles in silence.”
tl;dr:Andrew discusses the superpower of being plainspoken. “Our desire to maintain harmony can cause us to be indirect about uncomfortable truths. Our desire to influence can cause us to pre-emptively address every arcane objection. Our desire to impress can cause us to use more language than necessary. And the expectations we have internalized about corporate communication often cause us to write in a way we never would to our friends.”
tl;dr:“Theory of mind is a concept I first learned in a class on psychology. It describes our capacity to understand the mental states of others.” Andrew explains why this concept is the reason why its so important for leaders to communicate the context around their decisions.