Most corporate values statements (e.g., "integrity") are unactionable and don't change internal culture. Effective leaders codify specific, observable behaviors—the "how" of working together. This makes unspoken expectations explicit and creates a clear standard for accountability that a vague value never could.

Contrary to the popular advice to 'hire great people and get out of their way,' a CEO's job is to identify the three most critical company initiatives. They must then dive deep into the weeds to guarantee their success, as only the CEO has the unique context and authority to unblock them.

Firing employees is often an emotional process for leaders. To make it objective, establish clear service level agreements (SLAs) or non-negotiables for every role from day one. If an employee consistently fails to meet these pre-defined expectations, the decision to let them go becomes a logical consequence of their performance, not a subjective feeling.

When an employee isn't meeting expectations, it's rarely due to lack of effort. It's typically because they don't know *what* to do, *why* it's important to the larger picture, or *how* to do it. Addressing these three points provides clarity and removes roadblocks before assuming a performance issue.

A common scaling mistake is continuing to hire for broad, 'multi-hyphen' roles (e.g., 'sales and retail manager'). As the business grows, these generalist positions dilute focus. Instead, create tighter, more specialized job descriptions to bring clarity and attract hyper-focused candidates.

Firing decisions should be a function of both incompetence and business constraint. Not all underperformers are equal priorities. Some are like a "trash can on fire in the driveway"—a problem, but not the company's main bottleneck. Focus firing efforts on roles that are the direct constraint to growth.

Before writing a job description, create an in-depth scorecard with three components: the role's Mission (its purpose), key Outcomes (measurable results), and Competencies (functional and cultural skills). This forces alignment among stakeholders and clarifies what success looks like before the first interview.

To clarify difficult talent decisions, ask yourself: "Would I enthusiastically rehire this person for this same role today?" This binary question, used at Stripe, bypasses emotional ambiguity and provides a clear signal. A "no" doesn't mean immediate termination, but it mandates that some corrective action must be taken.

Instead of asking employees what they do, map your core business processes (e.g., customer acquisition). Then, assign each step to a person. This bottom-up approach reveals who is truly driving value and who is overburdened, leading to more accurate role definitions based on business impact.