In Quartz, Hugo Macdonald, the former design editor of Monocle magazine, made the case for friction: The thought of friction may make us bristle, but it’s not synonymous with difficulty. The standard linguistic definition recognizes this: Friction is derived from the Latin word fricare, meaning “to rub,” and . . . generally means a force that

For leaders, no-drama days where everyone is just happily doing their thing feel great, so they assume a calm, hassle-free existence is the one that produces the best work. They optimize for a steady state, when there are no surprises and people do as they’re told. But comfort also breeds complacency. As learning curves plateau, we lose interest in

Prompt clarity with questions.

“In most cases, if the fundamental reasons for why the product or service should exist are still valid, then the team will always take on the challenge, assuming you didn’t burn way too much time or cash and it was an intelligent—albeit sometimes crazy and unexpected—way to get to the learnings. We all, as a team, did a conscious recommit at the

Whatever you build and launch to the world becomes much harder, both logistically and psychologically, to change after launch. If the uniqueness isn’t already baked in, and instead only gets sprinkled on top, it’s likely to taste bland. Speed through the generic stuff, but take the time you need to perfect the few things that you’re most proud of.

Nobody remembers, or is inspired by, anything that fits in.

Build a team of people dynamic enough to make every conversation a step function that is more interesting than the one before it, and smart enough to make the complicated simple and accessible to everyone.

The middle of the journey is all about enduring the valleys and optimizing the peaks.

Loewenstein outlines five curiosity triggers that alert people to information gaps. They consist of questions or riddles, unknown resolutions, violated expectations, access to information known by others, and reminders of something forgotten. The best advertisements, and most-clicked headlines, play on most if not all of these triggers.