Wes Kao's Newsletter

Wes Kao's Newsletter

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How to give a senior leader feedback (without getting fired)
 • Wes Kao
12
Why high performers make assertions: The difference between insights, suggestions, and assertions
 • Wes Kao
17
How to be concise
 • Wes Kao
31
How I give the right amount of context (in any situation)
 • Wes Kao
15
How to fix limbo writing
When writing is obviously bad, you delete it. When writing is obviously good, you ship it. But what if it’s not terrible, but it’s not good either? I…
 • 
Wes Kao
2
Take 3 minutes to delete these words and improve your writing forever
Before you hit “send,” delete these words from your writing. Your message will be stronger for it.
 • 
Wes Kao
12
Everything takes longer than you think
The problem isn’t that you’re not working fast enough. It’s that your expectations were never realistic to begin with.
 • 
Wes Kao
17
Leaders, stop accidentally scaring your team
"Painting a picture" by being concrete and specific is usually good. But when you're talking about negative ideas, you may want to be abstract and vague…
 • 
Wes Kao
3
When too much CYA backfires
Some operators speak in a way that's overly CYA (cover your ass) as a defensive tactic to prevent getting into trouble if things go wrong. Here's why…
 • 
Wes Kao
8
Good struggle vs bad struggle
Not all struggle leads to personal growth. Learn to distinguish between good struggle vs bad struggle, so you can invest your emotional energy in the…
 • 
Wes Kao
9
People judge the average of your achievements, not the cumulative
Mentioning too many items can actually reduce your overall perceived value.
 • 
Wes Kao
8
What you give airtime to will expand
Successful operators intentionally direct their recipients' attention. Focus less on what you can't do, and more on what you can do.
 • 
Wes Kao
5
Why high performers make assertions: The difference between insights, suggestions, and assertions
An insight is just a starting point. The rare, courageous thing to do is to develop an assertion, i.e. a hypothesis and point of view that answers "so…
 • 
Wes Kao
17
Wes Kao's Newsletter
Wes Kao's Newsletter
A bi-weekly newsletter on managing up, executive communication, and standing out as a high-performer. Written by an a16z-backed founder.

Wes Kao's Newsletter

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