Trust isn’t built through superhero moments. It’s earned in small gestures.
You build trust by being present when someone needs you. It happens when you ask how they’re doing. When you listen. When you remember what they shared.
These tiny moments add up. They matter more than any grand gesture ever could.
That is it.
Not every key metric needs a project or an initiative. Some metrics you just need to monitor, wait and see.
Some metrics should guide your strategy and inform on which long-term goals to focus on.
You will get outcompeted by people who genuinely love what you only do for money.
And you will get outcompeted by people who embrace change.
While you cling to old knowledge like a sunk cost, afraid to let go of what you’ve learned, change will happen and the world around you will move on.
I’ve seen this firsthand. From coding in the 90s out of pure interest. To managing teams. And now building complete products with AI.
What can you as a founder, leader or manager do to help a struggling team?
Focus on the 3Cs: Clarity, Capacity and Collaboration.
How can increase clarity for the team? Does everyone know what we are working on and why we are working on it? Can I make our current goals clear, our prioritization crystal and our targets obvious?
Can I make our capacity visible? Do we have the time, skills and energy we need? Should we bring in outside perspective or knowledge? Are we working on too many things?
Can I identify and propose opportunities for collaboration? Can we work together on prioritized initiatives? Can we discuss challenges and find solutions together? Can we commit to reach out to others when we are stuck?
When either of these is lacking the team will focus on the wrong goals, they will be slower and cause friction, work in silos, make complicated solutions and will miss out on innovation.
The sweet spot is when all of this works.
The power of this framework isn’t in formally announcing it, but in using it as a leadership compass to guide your team. Like good coaching, it’s about consistently creating an environment where these elements can thrive, especially when dealing with changing priorities from above. The framework becomes most effective when it feels natural rather than forced.
After exploring different ways of storing my notes, I’ve developed a system inspired by a plentiful of productive gurus.
I call it CUP and it stands for Cabinet, Unfold and Play.
The Cabinet is a spin on the Cabinet of Curiosities and this is where I store most of my notes. The Cabinet is more than just storage - it’s a curated collection of knowledge, ideas, and inspiration. Like the historical cabinets of curiosities, it’s where we keep our most interesting findings. This could include book notes, research, interesting articles, concepts, or any piece of information worth preserving.
Unfold captures life as it happens. By keeping daily notes, meeting logs, and journal entries here, we create a chronological story of our days. Through backlinks, these daily captures stay connected to our broader work, making it easy to trace how ideas and projects develop over time.
By choosing “Play” over “Projects,” we create a space that invites creativity and experimentation. This section houses our active work and responsibilities, but approaches them with a lighter, more engaging mindset. Whether it’s writing, coding, or planning, framing it as play helps maintain curiosity and reduces the pressure we often associate with traditional project management.
Like the name suggests, CUP is a container - but one that’s designed to grow and evolve with our needs and interests.
After decades of coding, I can read and understand code as naturally as English or Swedish. As AI becomes the primary code generator, this skill will become invaluable.
We’ll evolve into the gatekeepers - like editors who approve manuscripts or art curators who authenticate masterpieces. But our stakes will be higher. We’ll be the ones signing off on code that artificial intelligence produces, code that could move markets or impact millions.
We’ll be the final human eyes, the ones who understand both the poetry and potential pitfalls in machine-written code.
How often do we pause to question if our goals still fit the person we are today?
Like hanging onto a jacket that no longer fits just because it used to be our favorite. We often cling to old dreams and ambitions that we’ve outgrown.
Are we still trying to achieve the goals of our past selves? Following an outdated map. Moving in a direction that no longer excites us.
Remember - the real failure isn’t in changing direction or letting go. The real failure is staying stuck. Doing nothing. Being afraid to admit we’ve changed. Every step forward teaches us something new about ourselves. Even if it means leaving old dreams behind.
Is this still your dream? Or are you just afraid to let it go?
Decisions are roadblocks in your story.
But they need to be made.
They are the way to change our stories, our identities.
Stories change through action, and action starts with decision. Changing your identity story isn’t easy.
Missing a few days is not a failure.
Stopping forever, might be.
Getting back on track is what matters.
Productivity alone is a flawed metric.
It often leads to an endless grind.
Connect it to other factors that matter.
Is the fun? Is it efficient? Are you collaborating? Does it make you happy?