Leaders Read#125

👋 Hello everyone,

Harry S. Truman said, “The buck stops here.”

Here are a few resources you might have missed:

• Book notes: Useful Not True by Derek Sivers

• Book notes: Art Thinking by Amy Whitaker

• All 207 Book notes for your enjoyment

• Catch-up: #1 - #124 Leaders Read Newsletters

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📚 Book Summary:

This week's book is "Seven Strategy Questions" by Robert Simons.

Robert Simons draws on core strategy principles from his long career as a Harvard Professor. The seven strategy questions from the book will help you ensure your people are pointed in the right direction.

One of my favorite takeaways from the book is this:

"In the real world, not everyone can be above average. And allowing subpar performance to go unchallenged can have insidious consequences. When Hames Kilts took over as CEO of Gillette in 2001, he discovered that more than two-thirds of Gillette executives had been rated in the highest possible category, earning maximum bonuses. Kilts was forced to reconcile these assessments with reality: Gillette had missed its earnings estimates for fifteen consecutive quarters."

✅ Actionable advice:

Look at where you’ve rated your team’s performance as “strong.” Your people can’t all be A+ players, you can’t be an above-average leader, and the organization still has clear performance gaps. When everyone is rated above average, something is off. That contradiction isn’t about talent—it’s leadership.

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Have a great week!