Wes Kao

Quotes are word for word from the source.

• Identifying high-value projects

  “Start by thinking of projects your boss would agree are a no-brainer for you to work on.”

  Our noteWes suggests a top-down approach to finding tasks that get immediate approval.

• Overestimating Buy-in

  “A logistics-first note assumes buy-in. But you often have less buy-in than you think . It's easy to overestimate how much your recipient wants to do what you're asking them to do.”

  Our noteWes warns against assuming people are already on board with your request.

• Weight of words

  “Whether you acknowledge it or not, your words as a leader matter. You can tell people not to take you too seriously, but they still will.”

  Our noteWes emphasizes that a leader's communication always carries weight with the team.

• Thinking before templates

  “I've often advised my team to put away your templates for a minute - step away from trying to fill in each section, and first, think and develop conviction.”

  Our noteWes encourages her team to prioritize rigorous thinking over simply filling out pre-made forms.

• Communication as debt

  “Communication overhead is like tech debt. It adds up quickly, compounds, and gets unwieldy - until you're spending more time than you should on deciphering what people mean, following up, etc.”

  Our noteWes explains how poor communication efficiency creates hidden costs in an organization.

• Skill hierarchy

  “Not all skills are equally valued in the workplace. Some skills are seen as more important, prestigious, and associated with senior leaders. Other skills are associated with junior team members, or with less prestigious roles.”

  Our noteWes explains that workplace perception of skills is often unfair but real.

• Intentional framing

  “If you're going to do something anyway, frame it as an intentional choice. Frame it as a selling point, a prize the customer gets to have”

  Our noteWes emphasizes the power of intentionality in how a product's characteristics are presented.

• The competitive landscape

  “For every team that says "this is as good as it's going to get," there's a doppelgänger team out there who refuses to settle. They are pushing & they will eat your lunch - unless you raise your bar.”

  Our noteWes explains why settling for current standards is dangerous in a competitive market.

• Raising the bar

  “Raising the bar isn't necessarily more work. It's often about improving your intuition, decision-making accuracy, exposure to what's possible, and taste level, so you're making better judgment calls.”

  Our noteWes explains that high standards come from better judgment, not just brute force.

• Managing Up

  “Inform your manager what you're planning to do. This gives them a chance to stop you and/or to align.”

  Our noteWes suggests a middle ground between asking permission and asking forgiveness.

• End-to-end operator definition

  “End-to-end operators have vision, can develop a strategy, and can execute to bring their ideas to life.”

  Our noteWes defines the core capabilities of a high-performing operator in modern organizations.

• Managerial responsibility

  “The challenge is you (the manager) are ultimately responsible for the quality of decision-making and quality of output that comes out of your team. You are basically putting your stamp of approval on everything your team ships.”

  Our noteExplaining the psychological weight of being responsible for a team's output.

• Hands-on delegation

  “Not owning IC work, but still being hands on when your direct reports prepare stuff to review with you, has been the key for me.”

  Our noteWes explains how to balance high-level management with detailed involvement during reviews.

• Defining analytical thinking

  “Analytical doesn't necessarily mean quantitative . I think most of us, when we hear analytical , immediately think of metrics, spreadsheets, dashboards, etc.”

  Our noteWes explains that analytical thinking is a mindset separate from technical tools.

• Understanding profit margins

  “Low profit margins isn't necessarily good or bad - it simply is. If you see low profit margins, you don't need to freak out.”

  Our noteWes explains that profit margins should be viewed in the context of strategy.

• Stress testing ideas

  “I have a thought - and my immediate next thought is "Why might this not be true?" And I basically go back and forth with myself.”

  Our noteWes shares her internal process for ensuring her logic is sound before sharing it.

• Accountability and perception

  “If your manager had to ask for you to admit you missed the deadline, it looks like you're shirking your responsibility, hoping no one will notice, and trying to get away with bad behavior.”

  Our noteShe warns about the negative perception created when employees are silent about missed deadlines.

• Information hierarchy

  “Put your recommendation, action item, or question at the top, then context below.”

  Our noteHow to structure communication for busy leaders.

• Structural feedback first

  “If what you get is drastically different from what you expected, give structural feedback first. Here's why: if you start with line edits, you might trim entire paragraphs later - so your line edits are wasted.”

  Our noteShe advises on the correct order of operations when reviewing work.

• Defining Concision

  “Being concise is about using an economy of words. It's maximizing your word "real estate." It's about density, not absolute length. You can have a 1,500-word memo that's concise.”

  Our noteWes explains that concision is not just about being short but about word density.

• Clear Thinking Bottleneck

  “I've come to believe that clear thinking is the hard part - it's the bottleneck to being concise. If you don't first clarify your ideas, you can't communicate those ideas concisely.”

  Our noteWes identifies clear thinking as the prerequisite for concise communication.

• Learning from failure

  “The idea of "let the person fail and they'll learn" makes sense in theory, but in reality, it's not worth sacrificing brand credibility and taxing your customers for a team member to learn a lesson.”

  Our noteWes discusses why managers shouldn't let employees fail at the expense of the customer's experience.

• Acting like an owner

  “When you act like an owner, you assume the ball is in your court. You keep pestering the person, respectfully and with tact, until you hear back.”

  Our noteWes describes the persistence required to ensure tasks are completed in a professional setting.

• Persuasion and influence

  “There's a difference between making a casual suggestion vs drawing on the depths of your ingenuity to convince someone of your recommendation.”

  Our noteWes emphasizes the effort required to advocate for business decisions.

• Head position power

  “Keeping your head straight makes you look more serious and authoritative. This should be your default head position. Try this exercise this week: Notice your head and whether you're holding it straight.”

  Our noteWes advises on how a simple physical adjustment can change how others perceive your status.

• Professional vulnerability limits

  “You don't want to be vulnerable at the expense of your ultimate goal, which at work, is generally about inspiring confidence in your abilities”

  Our noteShe emphasizes that vulnerability should not undermine professional goals.

• Strategic Communication

  “If you've ever wondered, "What should I say? What should I not say?" Think about "strategy, not self-expression." It will help you focus your message and drive toward your ideal outcome.”

  Our noteWes explains how to decide what to include in a message to achieve a specific goal.

• Developing Strong Assertions

  “The rare, courageous thing to do is to develop an assertion, i.e. a hypothesis and point of view that answers "so what?”

  Our noteWes explains the difference between merely having insights and making a bold, actionable assertion.

• Positive framing impact

  “If you frame positively, it will feel lighter and more doable than if you framed it in a critical, heavy way.”

  Our noteWes discusses how framing affects the recipient's motivation to act on feedback.

• Immediate redirection strategy

  “The key with this strategy is to redirect and continue talking about the thing you want to talk about. You should redirect immediately because timing matters.”

  Our noteWes discusses how to handle tangents by redirecting the conversation without giving room for objections.