The Hierarchy Is Bullshit (And Bad For Business)

It does mean being actively forthcoming about important questions and matters which are happening or on the horizon…often before you are fully comfortable with it. Honestly, if you never feel any discomfort about your level of transparency, you probably aren’t transparent enough .

When making internal decisions about e.g. salary bands, individual exceptions to formal policy, etc, ask each other … if this decision were to leak, could we justify our reasoning with head held high? If you would feel ashamed, or if you really don’t want people to find out about it, it’s probably the wrong decision.

Only if they trust you to loop them in will they feel free to go heads down and focus.

If you aren’t sure what to do, make the choice that preserves or expands future optionality . Remember: Most startups fail. Will you be okay with your choices if (& when) this one does too?

Train yourself to love the feeling of constantly learning and pushing your boundaries. Feeling comfortable is the system blinking orange , and it should make you uneasy.