Wes Kao

Quotes are word for word from the source.

• Picking your battles

  “Finesse means realizing there's no need to call someone out if there's no upside to doing so.”

  Our noteWes discusses the importance of strategic silence when dealing with others' mistakes.

• Connecting with customers

  “There will come a day when you won't be in the exact same demographic and psychographic as your customers. Your job is to connect with them anyway.”

  Our noteWes discusses the inevitability of marketing to people different from yourself.

• Managing up effectively

  “I loved when my direct reports were clear in sharing exactly what they needed from me, by when, and why. I could get back to them much sooner and remove myself from their critical path.”

  Our noteWes describes how specific requests from employees help managers be more effective.

• Creating buy-in

  “Fit your project into their world, not the other way around. Make it sound as fun as it can sound.”

  Our noteWes advises on how to frame projects to align with the interests of the team.

• Beyond formatting

  “Headers, subheaders, toggles, paragraphs, etc are a type of signposting, but these formatting elements alone are not enough.”

  Our noteShe warns that good design cannot fix weak or poorly argued content.

• Taking Responsibility

  “When you take responsibility for your role in a situation, you engender massive amounts of goodwill. Most managers won't admit that anything is their fault, so if you do this even a little, it makes you seem gracious.”

  Our noteWes discusses how managers can build trust by admitting their own role in a team member's underperformance.

• Better feedback phrasing

  “At the same time is the best of both worlds: It signals a difference like "but" does without the negativity. It's like "and" in that it shows a continuation”

  Our noteWes suggests a specific phrase to replace but in performance reviews.

• Fixing fuzzy ideas

  “Editing limbo writing takes a disproportionate amount of mental effort. Because the problem often isn't the copy. The problem is that the underlying idea is fuzzy.”

  Our noteWes identifies why some writing feels stuck in a mediocre 'limbo' state.

• Interview outcomes

  “The key is that it [speaking nonstop] might feel good for them, but it's bad for the outcome of their interview.”

  Our noteWes explains that letting someone ramble is detrimental to the actual goal of the meeting.

• Accurate language use

  “Use language that accurately reflects your level of certainty, so you don't make overly broad statements you can't stand behind.”

  Our noteWes explains why matching your words to your actual level of certainty builds credibility.

• Building professional trust

  “If you speak accurately, your colleagues can trust you more easily. If and when you sound certain, your words will carry more weight.”

  Our noteWes highlights the long-term benefit of being honest about one's level of conviction.

• Manager Responsibility

  “You're the manager. You're the leader. It's up to you to frame the conversation, and be explicit about what you want to see and why.”

  Our noteWes reminds leaders that they are responsible for setting clear expectations.

• Focus on others

  “One of the fundamentals of influence is being you-focused. You want to frame your message around how the other person benefits”

  Our noteWes explains the core principle of influencing others through their own interests.

• Objective Feedback

  “I don't know who they are deep down at their core - I only know how they show up at work and how they come across based on how they behave and what they say.”

  Our noteWes emphasizes focusing on observable behavior rather than judging a person's character.

• Effective Context Sharing

  “Giving the right amount of context helps teams move faster. Too much context? Your manager can't tell what's important. They'll need to wade through details, trying to sort information into a pile of what's important vs what to ignore.”

  Our noteWes explains why providing the right amount of information is crucial for team speed.

• Showing Your Work

  “When you show your thought process, your manager can point out gaps in your logic-or share information you'd find relevant.”

  Our noteWes highlights the benefit of sharing the reasoning behind a recommendation.

• Managerial power dynamics

  “In a flat team structure, you and your manager might act like equals 99% of the time. But in the 1% of of the time when there's a difference, you need to cater to them.”

  Our noteWes explains the reality of the structural dynamic between a manager and a direct report.

• Handling workplace tension

  “It doesn't matter if the tension is technically "their fault." You have to find a way to deal with it, or work for someone else.”

  Our noteWes discusses why employees must adapt even if the manager is the source of friction.

• Redirecting energy

  “We waste a lot of energy trying to change things we can't change. Once I stopped subconsciously trying to change my manager, I could redirect that energy into areas where I could affect change.”

  Our noteWes reflects on the productivity gain from accepting a manager's personality as it is.

• Pivot When Boring

  “If your recipient's eyes are glazing over, stop . Switch gears. If they are barely listening, you don't have much to lose by changing up your approach.”

  Our noteWes advises on how to handle a conversation when the audience loses interest.

• Listen to Excitement

  “When your recipient's eyes light up and they want to talk, let them . This applies to 1:1 conversations, especially sales calls.”

  Our noteWes emphasizes the importance of letting the customer speak when they show genuine interest.

• The cost of apologizing

  “If you apologize when there's no reason to, you undermine yourself: You let them think they have a moral high ground, when they don't. They feel justified in being upset, when they shouldn't.”

  Our noteWes explains how unnecessary apologies shift power dynamics and justify irrational reactions.

• Avoid aggressive probing

  “I don't like doing this because it can sound a bit aggressive. I don't want to risk insinuating that my recipient is being coy.”

  Our noteWes explains why she prefers subtle probing over bluntly asking for the 'question behind the question'.

• Words impact bottom line

  “Words shape how your recipient thinks and can either build or destroy goodwill, and save or cost you money.”

  Our noteWes emphasizes that strategic messaging has real financial and relational consequences.

• Reducing Cognitive Load

  “If you can save your recipient a mental step, you're doing a kind thing. Most people have too much they need to mentally process, so avoid adding more friction than you have to.”

  Our noteWes emphasizes the importance of making communication easy for others to process.

• Avoiding distractions

  “When you notice a small mistake or miscommunication, your urge might be to correct your colleague - because you are technically right. But this can derail the main point and cause a distraction.”

  Our noteShe explains how correcting minor errors can hinder productive workplace communication.

• Communication restraint

  “Resist the temptation to call the person out for using confusing language. If you point out how their message could have multiple interpretations... YOU could end up looking like the one who is causing confusion.”

  Our noteShe warns against the risks of over-analyzing someone else's communication errors.

• Customizing your role

  “If you've ever felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, well, writing your own job description is creating a square hole for yourself.”

  Our noteWes explains the benefit of crafting a role around unique strengths.

• Common career mistake

  “A common mistake I see when talking to folks who want to write their own job description: They think it's about them.”

  Our noteWes warns against focusing only on personal desires when pitching a new role.

• Focus on the manager

  “It's about what role would make your manager's life easier and better . This is relevant whether you're speaking to a hiring manager for a new position you're interviewing for, or your existing manager”

  Our noteWes emphasizes that a new role must solve the manager's problems.