Welcome to The 10x Leader Newsletter

Tech folks have been throwing the term “10x developer” around for years.

Personally I had never thought much about it until I experienced it firsthand, working with an engineer who moved blazingly fast and shipped incredible code.

I assumed the term was something some tech bro made up sometime between when Google launched and when Facebook hit a billion dollar valuation. But the term actually dates back to essays on software engineering written by Fred Brooks in 1968 - if it’s stuck around this long it must have some merit, right?

What is a 10x developer?

If you’re unfamiliar, it’s an engineer whose output is the equivalent of 10 of their peers - they complete 10x more tasks, and write 10x better code than any other member of their team working under the same conditions.

The existence of these “unicorns” is frequently debated. But like me, you may have experienced working with someone who just seems to get more done, in the same time, in the same environment, under the same constraints as everyone else. For you, maybe it wasn’t an Engineer, but it was a Designer, or a Marketer, or a Salesperson.

Whether or not they are “10x” better isn’t really the point, it’s that their productivity was clearly different. Some people just get shit done.

Now imagine if one or more of these variables unlocked productivity for an entire team.

More time, less constraints, a better working environment - for everyone.

Would the whole team be 2x, 5x, 10x better?

Enter the 10x leader.

At some point in your career, there’s a good chance you’ve had a bad manager - a micromanager, a blocker, a poor communicator, maybe even a bully.

I’ve seen it all.

You’ve also, hopefully, had an incredible manager.

Someone who understood you, who motivated you, who represented you, who lifted you up, and most importantly helped you grow.

Fortunately I’ve seen this too.

The best leaders in the world enable their teams to do their best work.

They build teams that are happy, that are engaged, that have a clear understanding of how their work, the goals of the business, and their purpose converge.

Teams that look forward to Monday mornings.

If a 10x developer has 10 times the output of their peers, a 10x leader gets 10 times the output from their team. 

The most enjoyable part of my career has been building teams - from 0 to 1 to 25 and beyond.

And the proudest part of my career has been seeing them grow as individuals and as leaders; consistently scoring at the top of company engagement surveys, taking what they learned from our team, and going on to build happy and engaged teams of their own.

Each month, I'll bring you lessons from the world's best leaders on all things leadership: from team building and scaling, to cultivating a robust culture and purpose, to strategies for motivation and support—all aimed at achieving peak performance while ensuring lasting happiness.

I have two goals for this newsletter:

1. To help current and future managers become 10x leaders. To distill the best learnings from the best leaders in the world, and form your own leadership style that fosters exponential output, and enjoyment.

2. To help individual contributors understand what exceptional leadership looks like, so you can find leaders who enable you to excel, and avoid leaders who stunt your growth.

If this newsletter helps just one of you implement a single takeaway that enables you to be a better leader, or find one that brings you happiness and purpose - I would consider it a tremendous success.

Welcome to the 10x Leader Newsletter, I’m so excited you’re here ❤️