Delegation — the four levels
- Tell — "Do exactly this."
- Show — "Watch me do it once, then you do it."
- Coach — "Here's the goal; here's what to consider; let's talk through your approach."
- Trust — "Here's the goal. Tell me how it went."
New managers default to Tell. The growth move is climbing the levels deliberately as the person earns trust. The wrong move is staying at Tell forever — the team never learns to decide.
Hiring — the rule of one
Larson's rule: hire the most senior person you can afford who doesn't replicate someone you already have. Each hire should expand the team's capability — not just add capacity to a strength you already possess. A team of five identical PMs is a team of one with five backups.
↳ in the wild
Firing — the part nobody wants to write about
Fournier is direct: bad hires are common; the leadership move is acting on them. A clear performance plan with specific targets, regular feedback, and a defined timeline is fair to everyone. Indefinite tolerance of underperformance is unfair to the team — they carry the load while watching nothing happen.