Archive - Wes Kao's Newsletter

Use "but" strategically

“But” is a negating word. Here’s how to use this intentionally, so you sound direct and positive.

Mar 26 •

Why you should get buy-in throughout a project

Even if you mentioned a risk might happen, your manager might act surprised when it actually happens. This is why you must reinforce expectations at the…

Mar 19 •

The only way to stop the rat race

There’s always another rat race if you want to be a rat in a race

Mar 12 •

Be objective, not detached

Context isn’t only about facts and what happened--it’s also helping your audience understand how to interpret this information.

Mar 5 •

February 2025

The trouble with "good enough"

Obviously, stop before you hit the point of diminishing returns. The problem is many operators stop way before this point--and leave proverbial money on…

Feb 26 •

Develop adjacent skills to become a sharper operator

The best marketers might call themselves marketers... But they are secretly strong in other disciplines.

Feb 19 •

Eyes light up (ELU)

This is the moment when your audience is viscerally, undeniably excited about what you’re talking about. Aim for ELU.

Feb 12 •

Stop apologizing for reasonable business decisions

Why saying sorry might unintentionally shift the power dynamics

Feb 5 •

January 2025

Picking your battles when you are hyper-rational

Don't get caught up in being technically right, at the expense of being effective

Jan 29 •

No, I don't want to hop on a call

I do not want to hop on a call because you are too lazy to write a cogent message

Jan 22 •

How I give high-quality feedback quickly

If you're not regularly giving feedback, you're missing a chance to scale your judgment. Here's how to give high-quality feedback in as little as 1-2…

Jan 15 •

“Looks good to me” is a lazy default: Why managers should give feedback on work output

If you’re not regularly giving feedback on work product, you’re missing a valuable opportunity to invest in your team and set a higher bar.

Jan 8 •

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts