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Lenny's Podcast · September 7, 2023 · 70m
Rigorous thinking and managing up | Wes Kao
Wes Kao on rigorous thinking: the skill of pre-empting every objection before presenting an idea. Managing up effectively by making your manager's job easier. Why 'strong opinions, loosely held' is usually 'strong opinions, never updated.'
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Kao: most people try to 'manage up' through persuasion. Better approach: redesign the information environment your manager operates in. If you frame the decision correctly, the right answer becomes obvious.
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Kao: most people agree with bad ideas in meetings because disagreeing feels risky. The skill of respectful pushback is learnable — it requires practice, specific language patterns, and the repeated experience of disagreeing without being punished.
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