Operating Principles

I. How the World Actually Works

• Perception will make you or break you. (Mom)

• Every day, you’re interviewing. (Mom, through Mr. Hewlett)

• You can’t win if you don’t keep score.

• Timing is everything. (Cindy)

• You never go broke taking a profit. (Andrea)

• When you look good, you work good. (Dad)

Reality doesn’t reward intent. It rewards execution.

II. Discipline, Planning, and Energy

• Don’t move the dirt twice. (Dad)

• Lack of planning creates chaos. (Andrea)

• It’s hard to get better at a process when you don’t have one. (Chris)

• Trust the process.

• "Don't be tired!" (Jimmy Johnson)

• I’d rather be 92% over-prepared than 20% underprepared. (Howie Long)

Order creates speed. Preparation creates leverage.

III. Leadership & Judgment

• Make people better. 

• Assume you’re the dumbest person in the room.

• Give up your right to be right. (Cindy H.)

• Avoid still people.

• Don’t turn third basemen into right fielders.

• Don’t burn down the house to get the mice. (Carolyn N.)

• Never outsource strategy. (Jeff B.)

• Learn the biggest problem in the room—and take that one. (James R.)

• Never stop trying to be qualified for the job.

Leadership is judgment under pressure, not position or volume.

IV. Accountability & Character

• When things are going well, look out the window. When they’re going badly, look in the mirror. (Good to Great)

• When you find yourself impatient, you’re doing something you don’t like. (James M.)

• Don’t be shy about asking for help—it’s wisdom, not weakness.

Integrity is knowing when to own it.

V. Communication & Presence

• Manage the flow of information. (James M.)

• At the executive level, anything written has to be clear. (Amy T.)

• The entire classroom is your stage. (Kevin)

• Have your 15-minute talk ready. (Jack)

• At this level, you must know what you want—and how you want to deliver it. (Amy T.)

If you can’t communicate clearly, you’re not done thinking.

VI. Perspective That Endures

• My Dad's List:

  1. KISS. Keep it simple stupid! - Break stuff down. Don't make it too complicated.

  2. Make no mistakes. - Measure twice, cut once.

  3. Don’t sweat the small stuff. - And it is all pretty small.

• Marcus Aurelius:
  “The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.”

• “For a person to lead, they have to be able to love” – Jalen Hurts.  (Feldman, B. (2023, February 6). What Jalen Hurts has shown for years that sets him apart from his peers. The Athletic. https://theathletic.com/4155015/2023/02/05/jalen-hurts-eagles-super-bowl) 

Enduring leadership is simple.

These principles were learned through pressure, mistakes, mentors, and reps.

I don’t claim these principles are perfect.
I claim they work.

And if something works better, it earns its way onto the list.