Lead 💎 Issue #86
Plus: why hobbies, travel with children and low expectations are the best.
Happy Friday👋
What’s up? 🧭
I started a new position at Bosch as Engineering Manager. The idea was being developed for a while now - I even shared a bit of that in The four buckets before a career change - and now it’s been made official.
This means I’m taking on one of the best challenges: I should lead the team I have been part of for the last 7 years. Of all the teams that I don’t want ever to let down, that’s the team that I want to let down the least. I wouldn’t have it any other way though.
This is my first experience as a leader of a team in a professional setting, and that means there is an immense gap between the theory I’ve been collecting over the years, about what is this all about, and the practice needed to test it. That’s not ideal, and not because of the lack of experience, but the lack of balance between theory and practice.
When starting a new endeavor I’m currently leaning on being preferable less theory and no experience, than all the theory and no experience. The reverse, all the practice and no theory, is probably as challenging. The biggest hurdle becomes giving the right amount of value to what we are discovering, through practice, are the holes in our theories.
I need to be ready for a three-minute exchange with my team to invalidate four books, three podcasts, and sixteen articles about quality feedback. Well, maybe not me, but my ego will be pissed.
These are exciting times.
And now, the best things I found on the Internet these past weeks.
New to me 💡
Leading vs. Participating | 5 min read
See what I mean by “all that theory”.
Knowing and preaching the right are what advisors and experts do. They look at the problem landscape and tell you what you should do. But leaders don’t stop there. They need to figure out how to get the team to act on those and produce results.
What a Hobby Feels Like | 9 min read
I wrote about similar feelings on This is why we have hobbies, but here I think the author goes into something I’ve felt but hadn’t put into words: how hobbies are a way to connect to our childhood version.
And after a few runs, all of those feelings of childhood came rushing back: feeling strong and fearless and hedging that thrilling line between total control and losing it, but also the glorious, unbound expanse of the mountain and the day. It felt at once easy and challenging, natural and all I wanted to do forever. I think that’s what a hobby is supposed to feel like: not an obligation, but a state you’re always returning to. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it doesn’t have to be organized, it doesn’t have to depend on other people. It just has to be yours.
103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known | 11 min read
Since we are on the topic:
When you lead, your real job is to create more leaders, not more followers.
It’s impossible to select a favorite, but here’s a great one:
Take note if you find yourself wondering “Where is my good knife? Or, where is my good pen?” That means you have bad ones. Get rid of those.
Low Expectations | 5 min read
Why having low expectations will lead to the opposite of depressed pessimism where nothing is achieved.
It’s not easy, because the knee-jerk way to set expectations is to anchor to what everyone else has right now. But imagine the tragedy of unbelievable progress throughout your life and enjoying none of it because you expected all of it.
Travel is best with young children | 4 min read
As someone with the first travel abroad with children scheduled for a few months from now, never have I ever clicked a link so fast.
“Once you have a baby, you can’t travel.” I’ve heard this so many times, although only from people who haven’t done it. But I took my baby to nine countries before he was one year old. Then another ten countries by the time he was eight. So I can tell you from experience that it’s not only easy but great.
#BuildSell30 hackathon review | 7 min read
If you can code you can have certain kinds of fun.
knowing something most people don’t is the entrepreneur’s unfair advantage. we want a packed bag full of these insights when it’s time to build a project. but nobody will give you space to develop advantages. so we should always be learning, absorbing, and taking note of inefficiencies and societal pain points.
Please help me grow this newsletter! I’d love if you shared it with your more curious friends.
A most geopolitical tweet 🗺️
This week in a gif 🏹
High note ⚡
This issue cover picture comes from here.
Last issue most clicked link was 100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying.
I hope you enjoyed these last minutes as much as me putting this together.
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Until next week,
Filipe