Execution
How to write a project brief your PM doesn't rewrite
If your PM rewrites your briefs, the issue isn't writing quality. It's structure. A six-line template and the two sentences that tend to break.
Read the piece →Topic
Execution
How to ship work, manage risk, and build a reputation for follow-through.
Your first big win isn’t about brilliance. It’s about trust. The thesis of execution, in one line: deliver what you said you’d deliver, when you said you’d deliver it. Do that for six months straight and you will quietly out-earn people who are smarter but unreliable.
The technique that makes this possible is under-promising at the commit and over-communicating through the middle. Give yourself a buffer on the estimate — not because you’re lazy, but because new jobs are full of hidden work you can’t see from the outside. Then, while the work is in flight, send small, unprompted updates: what’s on track, what’s at risk, what you’re doing about it. Surprises are the enemy; early flags are a gift.
A warning about execution-as-identity. It’s possible to become the person who ships, and nothing else — head down, output up, invisible above. That’s how you plateau. Ship cleanly and also make sure the right people see it: a crisp summary in a team channel, a line in the weekly update, a demo in the staff meeting. The work speaks, but only if you give it a microphone.
Start here
The one to read first.
All 9 posts in execution
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The First 90 Days OS: your Week 1 boot sequence
A simple Week 1 setup so you look competent fast: define success, build your note system, and stop guessing what matters.
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Week 1 Checklist: how to look competent in your first seven days
A simple day-by-day plan for your first week: relationships, clarity, and one small win.
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Meeting rules: 7 habits that make you the person people want in the room
Short rules for running crisp meetings: agendas, outcomes, and follow-ups — even if you're not the one in charge.
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Workplace competition: healthy hustle vs. toxic tug-of-war
How to stay ambitious without turning your team into a zero-sum game — especially in your first 90 days.
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SMART goal setting (the version that actually works at work)
Turn vague ambition into a plan you can execute — with examples for your first 90 days.
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Managing expenses and work travel (without getting a reputation)
A first-job guide to expense policies, gray areas, and how to stay above board without being a pain to work with.
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What to do with downtime at the office (without looking checked out)
A practical guide to using slow moments to build trust, skills, and momentum.
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What is an executive summary? (and how to write one)
A simple structure for a one-page summary that leaders will actually read.
This topic maps to Chapter 3 — Shipping work of the book. See the full chapter →