You already know what you need to do:
- Define your segments
- Deeply understand their pain
- Shape your solution to solve those pains
- Test your articulation like a comedian tests jokes
- Finalize that copy and put it on your site
Stop waiting for final drafts.
Execute!
Need technical leadership but can't justify a full-time CTO? I'm accepting 5 part-time CTO clients in 2025. Let's build something that lasts.
www.alexstandiford.com/articles/cla...
Merry Christmas!
Haha.
A bad boss will make decisions in secret; a good boss will practice transparency.
You mean you don’t have a drum line in church for the Little Drummer Boy song?
Are you a new boss?
- Listen before acting
- Clarify team expectations
- Schedule one-on-one meetings
- Give specific feedback
- Celebrate small wins
- Share vision clearly
- Respect existing processes
- Ask for team input
- Stay genuinely curious
- Build trust gradually
Everything
Culture means everything.
Losing even one key person can seriously impact work and morale. Strong culture acts as a retention tool - when people feel connected to and aligned with their team, they're more likely to stay despite potentially higher-paying offers elsewhere.
10 things #leaders do regularly:
1. Listen deeply
2. Own failures
3. Make tough decisions
4. Communicate clearly
5. Stay calm during crises
6. Continuously learn
7. Show empathy
8. Adapt to changing circumstances
9. Develop others around them
10. Lead with integrity
As a leader you need to be able to manage different people differently. It's why we recommend the MCode assessment because when your team takes it, it helps them see themselves better and you see them way more accurately, so you can lead them more effectively.
We don’t have snow in Houston but we have the Rockets. When does your tour stop come this way?
If your default is excellence, you can show up as critical.
If your default is strategic, you can show up as overthinking.
If your default is verbal, you can show up as not listening.
Having a strength is awesome, but you also have to learn to manage your gift.
1/5 The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.
You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. Just read it straight through, and you'll get the point...🧵
Your prospects don't need to know your entire plan for them. They might not even agree. So instead of showing them an entire roadmap, think about sharing the "best next step".
That's exactly what @AlexStandiford is doing for those who show up here: www.alexstandiford.com/growth-evolu...
I go into the same zone with a fantastic set of headphones playing the same song on repeat forever. Less skill required. :)
I like the Steelers. But I really like and feel bad for Joe Burrow (and this season). #conflicted
Final thought: High-performing teams aren't built overnight. They're built daily, through consistent actions that show people you believe in their potential. The best time to start is now.
Invest heavily in peer-to-peer learning. Your best people should teach others. It scales knowledge, builds connections, and creates a culture of growth. Everyone learns, everyone leads.
The hardest leadership lesson: you have to let people fail. Protect them from catastrophic failure, but small failures are learning rocket fuel. Build resilience through controlled adversity.
Regular feedback isn't a "nice to have" - it's oxygen for high performers. They crave growth. Create feedback loops that are specific, actionable, and future-focused.
Want to retain top talent? Connect their work to meaning. People don't quit jobs they believe in. Show them how their daily work ladders up to real impact.
The highest performing teams I've led shared one trait: radical ownership. Every person felt personally responsible for the team's success and had the autonomy to drive it.
Culture isn't about ping pong tables or free lunches. It's about creating an environment where people feel safe to take risks, speak up, and challenge the status quo. That starts with you as the leader.
Your interview process should test for learning agility. Give candidates real problems to solve. Watch HOW they think, not just what they know. The best hires are curious and adapt quickly.
First rule of recruiting: hire for trajectory over experience. I'll take someone with steep growth potential and incredible drive over someone who's plateaued at "very good" any day.
The secret to building a high-performing team isn't finding perfect people. It's creating an environment where good people can become exceptional. Here's what I've learned about building elite teams...
Every choice you make comes down to certain tradeoffs. Here’s how I stack up my tradeoffs:
Character over Consistency Consistency over Competence
Competence over Confidence
Confidence over Charisma
Charisma over Cleverness
Want a BF discount? Here is my best thinking for 100% discount (#free).
Your perspective is your superpower.
The situation doesn't change - but how you see it changes everything.
#Reframing #MindsetShift
