/Wes Kao

Are Your Standards Too Low? In Defense Of Raising The Bar tl;dr: Wes discusses why you should consider raising your standards and why this has the potential to dramatically improve your team’s chances of getting what you want: (1) Why every leader should set higher standards. (2) Challenges when raising the bar. (3) How to normalize a culture of excellence. 

featured in #574


How To Write Your Own Job Description (And Invent Your Role) tl;dr: “Creating a new position for yourself—one that doesn't yet exist — sounds too good to be true. But many of us have done it, and I’ve personally done it multiple times. I want to share a few ideas that will help you do it too.”

featured in #572


How To Give A Senior Leader Feedback (Without Getting Fired) tl;dr: Wes share some ways you can share feedback with senior leaders, or anyone more powerful than you—while being respectful, helpful, and protecting yourself from their wrath.

featured in #569


How To Give A Senior Leader Feedback (Without Getting Fired) tl;dr: Wes share some ways you can share feedback with senior leaders, or anyone more powerful than you—while being respectful, helpful, and protecting yourself from their wrath.

featured in #568


The Art Of Workplace Finesse (Part II) tl;dr: In this week’s post, we’ll cover examples of finesse in the workplace. (1) Identify when to ask for forgiveness vs permission. (2) Acknowledge that perception matters. (3) Know what you can get away with. (4) Don’t be too literal. (5) Know when to be discreet. (6) Never bet against incentives.

featured in #566


5 Frameworks To Master Communication And Influence As An Engineer tl;dr: Wes and Jordan discuss the following frameworks: (1) Reduce cognitive load using phrases like “For example”, “Action Items”, “Action Needed”, “Next Steps,” etc... (2) MP-CB: Main point, context below. (3) Anticipate the objection. (4) CEDAF for delegating tasks. (5) QBQ: Question behind the question. 

featured in #566


5 Frameworks To Master Communication And Influence As An Engineer tl;dr: Wes and Jordan discuss the following frameworks: (1) Reduce cognitive load using phrases like “For example”, “Action Items”, “Action Needed”, “Next Steps,” etc... (2) MP-CB: Main point, context below. (3) Anticipate the objection. (4) CEDAF for delegating tasks. (5) QBQ: Question behind the question. 

featured in #565


What Finesse Looks Like When Reading People And Situations tl;dr: Wes covers: (1) Share bad news effectively. (2) Understand power dynamics. (3) Know when to call someone out. (4) Understand intention vs impact. (5) Recognize the question behind the question. (6) Consider what’s advantageous for both parties. (7) Realize popular adages aren’t fully accurate. 

featured in #564


Frustrated By Rejection? How To Plan Before You Ask tl;dr: “The truth is, it can hurt to ask. Asking when you shouldn’t is expensive: (1) Asking can use your social capital. (2) Asking can make someone question your sense of judgment. (3) Asking can be off-putting and create awkwardness. (4) Asking can put a strain on a relationship. (5) Asking can change the nature of a relationship going forward (and be hard to undo). You can ask—but don’t just “put it out there” without a strategy. Think about whether what you’re asking a specific person makes sense given your level of trust.”

featured in #561


How To Regain Control Of A Meeting tl;dr: “For those of us with a collaborative leadership style, it’s important to have scripts you can realistically picture yourself saying.” Wes’ underlying rule is by mentioning the cost of going on a tangent, you remind them that the tangent is not free. She shares three different scripts to regain control of a meeting.

featured in #557