Over the years, I’ve noticed that certain phrases have become central to how I lead teams. They're not just casual remarks—they're powerful tools that shape our culture and drive our decisions.
My leadership style leans more on intuition than rigid structure. But through reflection, I’ve realized I often return to the same phrases. These serve as mental shortcuts that influence how we work, decide, and collaborate.
"What’s the worst that could happen?" encourages experimentation without fear. It reflects a mindset of calculated risk-taking and a commitment to creating a safe space for innovation. This question only works if we can confidently answer, “Nothing serious—and we can fix it quickly.” That confidence comes from a strong foundation: technical excellence, sound design, automated testing, and continuous deployment.
When we trust our systems and processes, experimentation becomes second nature. Then, questions like “What’s the next seemingly impossible goal we’ll accomplish?” don’t sound wild—they become grounded ambition. This mindset grows by breaking down complex problems and making thoughtful decisions step by step.
"Can we avoid doing it?" and "Can we achieve the same impact with fewer resources?" drive us toward efficiency. These align with Lean principles: reduce waste, maximize value. They help us cut complexity and focus on what truly matters. "What if we only had half the time?" forces us to prioritize and think about vertical slicing, ensuring we get feedback sooner. When technical quality is high, it’s easier to identify what’s unnecessary, simplify with confidence, and adapt quickly. Even a suggestion like “Let’s remove it and monitor the impact; we can restore it if needed” becomes a safe, low-risk move. In an environment with solid observability, metrics, and rollback capabilities, deletion becomes just another experiment. Another phrase I often use is, “Don't do anything I wouldn't do.” This encourages a sense of shared responsibility and ensures that everyone feels empowered to make decisions within the established boundaries and values of the team. It promotes trust and reinforces that we're all in this together.
- Technical excellence builds speed and confidence.
- That enables experimentation, learning, and impact.
- That impact strengthens the team’s autonomy and trust within the organization.
- That trust leads to more investment—and more progress.
It’s a virtuous cycle. It doesn’t happen overnight, but once it begins, it changes everything.
In the end, these phrases work because they reflect a way of working built on ambition, focus, and care. We aim for innovation and execution while supporting each other along the way. And they work because there are teams who don’t just understand them—they live them every day.
This approach is also only possible thanks to the patience and insight of my colleagues. Thank you for joining me in exploring new ideas—and for steering us wisely when needed.
These are just a few of the phrases that guide my leadership. I’d love to hear the ones that guide yours. Feel free to share them in the comments below!
Related Articles (for more context and related principles):
- Lean Software Delivery: Empowering the Team – Discusses team autonomy and ownership, aligning with the trust and empowerment themes in this post.
- Lean Software Development: Amplify Learning – Explores how feedback loops drive continuous improvement, a key part of the positive cycle described above.
Ultimately, these phrases—and the principles behind them—help build a culture of trust, innovation, and continuous improvement. It’s about empowering teams to do their best work and make a real impact.
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