power & authority

At the heart of agency lies a willingness to question defaults. To be agentic, you have to treat “how things are supposed to be done” as just one option among many.

Or, no, that formulation isn’t deep enough. When I think about friends of mine who struggle to be agentic, the problem isn’t precisely that they do the default thing; it’s that they fail... See more

“People who are direct are generally in touch with themselves and their desires. People who are habitually indirect usually aren’t. This is because people who are indirect don’t have much experience with their inner world making contact with the outer world. They sit and theorize instead of saying it out loud and seeing... See more

The logic is simple. Most people ask “Can I have a raise?” or “Can I get a free upgrade?” The framing of these questions allows room for a simple “No,” and when you’re asking for something wild (e.g., “Can I get into the VIP section with only a GA ticket?” ) the answer ought to be “No.” By reframing all your requests with “What will it take” you... See more