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Axios Finish Line

1 big thing: Don't be a loser 

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Axios CEO Jim VandeHei is back with his weekly column on hard-learned lessons on life and leadership. Let him know what you think: jim@axios.com.

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1 big thing: Quitting anxiety

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1 big thing: Cancer mortality falls

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This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.

If you trash a friend, a competitor, a colleague or company to win ... you are losing. 

Why it matters: Nothing screams weakness like arguing mainly why someone or something else sucks. It projects the opposite of what you often think and hope. 

Conversely, nothing shouts strength like showing why you or your ideas are better. 

Always operate from a position of strength.  

It took me years to fully grasp this. I often made the mistake of not just spotting the shortcomings of others, but harping on them. In retrospect, that's weak.

When we launched Politico, the 36-year-old me would too often criticize our rivals instead of simply playing up our unique strengths. It would have been wiser to project self-confidence based on our cool idea for a new publication. 

This doesn't mean you can't clinically offer assessments of competitors or people. Just don't make it your core focus and obsession. 

This choice unfolds daily in business deals, internal disputes, and talent fights. Here are things to watch to sniff out winners — and losers.

Whiners: People who gripe and moan about others' unfair advantages or flaws are usually exposing their own insecurities. Big red flag.

Whisperers: You never want to do business or hang around with people who gossip about others. One day, they'll gossip about you. 

Weasels: The only thing worse than people who are so insecure that they unwittingly act with malice are those who do so with forethought. They are snakes. 

Wannabes: Watch for signs of someone talking down someone else out of clear envy. This is a telltale sign of lack of confidence and conviction. Wannabe-ism is the gateway drug to weasel-ism. 

Wunderkinds: Also watch for those who brag on their own credentials or brainpower. If someone says they're smarter or better than someone else, deep down they fear they're not. 

The bottom line: When you're selling yourself, an idea or a product, you win by making your case on your terms — not trashing others. 

Axios Finish Line: Don't be a loser

If you trash a friend, a competitor, a colleague or company to win ... you are losing.

Leadership

Economy & Business

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here. 

"Most people think they're killing it — unless told otherwise," Mike Allen loves to remind me. 

Why it matters: People are often unaware of how they're falling short of expectations at work, or in relationships — unless they're told bluntly, clearly, unambiguously. 

It took me years to see this, then put it into practice myself. And it remains the hardest thing to teach most managers of people. 

Our instinct is to dance around the tough stuff — or hide it in unrelated compliments or puddles of words. 

So the person walks away thinking ... they're killing it.

Here's how we teach leaders to give the gift of candor:

Be specific. Leave no room for confusion. The person should know exactly what they're doing wrong or insufficiently. Don't hide it. Don't sugarcoat it. 

Be timely. Most of us want to avert our gaze — it's uncomfortable to give tough feedback. But the moment you spot a pattern or problem, pounce. Every day you wait is a day the person isn't improving.

Be prescriptive. Everyone deserves a chance to improve. (Most people welcome it!) Offer, with precision, what they need to do differently to reverse the pattern or problem. Give a specific timeframe — weeks, not months. 

Be encouraging. If they can change, tell them you believe in them and their capacity to bounce back. You just delivered sour news. Sending them into a tailspin is bad for them — and you. 

Be decisive. It hurts those who are killing it if you keep problematic people around. Managers spend too much time on underperformers — a time and energy suck for the whole team.

Reality check: This works both ways. Most managers don’t seek nearly enough feedback about themselves.

As a strong, candid manager — or, in a social situation, friend — you need to give the person space to respond to your feedback. 

Done right, you'll learn from each other.

The bottom line: Playing make-believe robs the person of the chance to step up — or find a better fit.

Axios Finish Line: The gift of candor

"Most people think they're killing it — unless told otherwise."

Illustration of a newspaper with the Axios logo and a thought bubble.

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sign up here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" data-vars-content-id="8253161c-e883-40b1-951a-e29881bc1e8b" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The gift of candor" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" target="_self">Sign up here</a>. &quot;Most people think they&#x27;re killing it — unless told otherwise,&quot; Mike Allen loves to remind me. <ul><li>Why it matters: People are often unaware of how they&#x27;re falling short of expectations at work, or in relationships — unless they&#x27;re told bluntly, clearly, unambiguously. </li></ul>It took me years to see this, then put it into practice myself. And it remains the hardest thing to teach most managers of people. <ul><li>Our instinct is to dance around the tough stuff — or hide it in unrelated compliments or puddles of words. </li><li>So the person walks away thinking ... they&#x27;re killing it.</li></ul>Here&#x27;s how we teach leaders to give the gift of candor:<ol><li>Be specific. Leave no room for confusion. The person should know exactly what they&#x27;re doing wrong or insufficiently. Don&#x27;t hide it. Don&#x27;t sugarcoat it. </li><li>Be timely. Most of us want to avert our gaze — it&#x27;s uncomfortable to give tough feedback. But the moment you spot a pattern or problem, pounce. Every day you wait is a day the person isn&#x27;t improving.</li><li>Be prescriptive. Everyone deserves a chance to improve. (Most people welcome it!) Offer, with precision, what they need to do differently to reverse the pattern or problem. Give a specific timeframe — weeks, not months. </li><li>Be encouraging. If they can change, tell them you believe in them and their capacity to bounce back. You just delivered sour news. Sending them into a tailspin is bad for them — and you. </li><li>Be decisive. It hurts those who are killing it if you keep problematic people around. Managers spend too much time on underperformers — a time and energy suck for the whole team.</li></ol>Reality check: This works both ways. Most managers don’t seek nearly enough feedback about themselves.<ul><li>As a strong, candid manager — or, in a social situation, friend — you need to give the person space to respond to your feedback. </li><li>Done right, you&#x27;ll learn from each other.</li></ul>The bottom line: Playing make-believe robs the person of the chance to step up — or find a better fit.

It often takes health scares or tragedy to focus your mind on the durable, indelible good stuff — including joy. 

Why it matters: Joy isn't simply a byproduct of good times. It can be an active choice in crappy ones. 

My family has lived this lesson this past year. And it surfaced simple, surprising lessons applicable to all. 

The backstory: My wife, Autumn, has endured a hellish medical journey all too familiar to too many. It started with one of those long-COVID horror stories you hear about — the brain fog, piercing migraines and stroke-like episodes. It rendered a voracious reader unable to read, and an eloquent speaker often unable to string words together.

Then her entire digestive system shut down, landing us in and out of a half dozen hospitals.

Emergency surgeries, months-long hospital stays, close calls and ICU visits gave way to inexplicable drops in blood pressure, malnutrition and frequent falls. 

But something magical happened amid the chaos and unimaginable pain: Autumn seemed more at peace, and able to find hope and solace in overstuffed, understaffed rooms.  

I was a hot mess. So at one point, I asked her how she was not more demoralized.

Autumn explained something that I've heard her say before in other contexts: While our life right now was suddenly very small and stressful, the one thing she could control was her joy. 

She found it, she said, in me, in her kids who rose heroically to the moment, and in the friends and family who showed attentiveness, often in surprising ways.

She is right. Three things struck me that all of us can practice in tough times: 

1. Savor what you've got. Autumn and I have been married 22 years. Neither of us are remotely easygoing: We are intense, opinionated and self-certain. We didn't marry our opposites. We married ourselves. 

But we've never found more joy in each other than in the solitary confinement of hospital rooms.

2. Deepen what you've got. None of us wish pain on our kids. But we found new depths in the character, emotion and strength of our children. A good trick we learned over the years is to not hide the tough stuff, and use it to deepen connections.

I watched my daughter spend hours reading to her mother, soothing her when she couldn’t read. 

I saw my sons prioritize after-school visits to the hospital, stretched out in their mom's bed trying to make her laugh. All three of them gathering strength before the surgeries to remind their mom that she's a warrior. 

3. Rediscover what you've got. Nothing reveals the depth of friends more than how they rise to the awful moments. This is such a great tell for who really has your back. The most delightful discoveries are those who surprise you. And we were blessed with lots of surprises. 

The bottom line: Try to choose joy, even when things suck or seem scary. 

Axios Finish Line: Choose joy

It often takes health scares to focus your mind on the durable, indelible good stuff.

Mental health

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sign up here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" data-vars-content-id="99747e49-eec5-4e6b-8835-a2535ee74783" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Choose joy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" target="_self">Sign up here</a>.It often takes health scares or tragedy to focus your mind on the durable, indelible good stuff — including joy. Why it matters: Joy isn&#x27;t simply a byproduct of good times. It can be an active choice in crappy ones.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.  

Every business, nonprofit and organization in the world needs to rethink — quickly and dramatically — how it communicates to its employees, donors, customers and shareholders.

Why it matters: Communications is now arguably the most important skill for any leader and function inside any organization, big or small.  And most suck at it.

Think about running anything since COVID:

Many people are still working from couches or kitchens or coffee shops — and will never return to a physical office to connect and learn. 

Every person has more notifications, bells or pings lighting up their phone than ever before. Hence, perpetual distraction. 

So people today are impossible to reach, or motivate, using old comms techniques. They are also needier.

Workers are demanding transparency, meaning, attention and connection like never before. They want to know what you are doing beyond making a product or money.

Many expect their companies or bosses to behave like idealistic politicians, taking public stands or action on every social debate. They want evidence of heart and humanity. 

Now shift from thinking about internal communications, and consider how leaders and groups connect externally. 

A tweet can have more influence than a national TV broadcast.

There are a dozen-plus distinct information ecosystems with distinct audiences. Think kids on TikTok, older people on Facebook, conservatives on right-wing podcasts. 

A generic press release is useless in this era.

When we sit down with C-suite executives, we often find they're set up for an era that died years ago. They know it — but don't know what to do.

The stakes: That poses a clear and present danger to their culture, productivity and future success. Poor communication leads to shoddy execution, employee distrust and, most notably, lack of alignment.

Let this sink in: Almost every leader at every company spends most of their time communicating — yet no one teaches you how to do it efficiently, effectively and profitably.

Here are four quick steps to help fix this: 

1. Have a communicator at your right hand. If you aren't a natural-born communicator, with authentic expertise, your head of comms or marketing is as vital to you as your COO or your CFO.

2. Hire people fluent in modern comms. You need to know how your message on Twitter has to be different for Facebook, for local media, for TV and for YouTube. A few cozy relationships with reporters are useless.

3. Rethink your style. Chances are you talk and write too long, too fancily, too foggily. You need to be smarter, briefer, more real.

4. Listen. It’s the essential ingredient of better communications. It allows you to communicate more transparently and more authentically because you know what words, phrases and ideas land with your audience — and which ones flop. This means more conversations with more people at more levels — your own personal focus group.

The bottom line: If your organization is communicating — internally or externally — with the same tone and cadence you used before this work-from-anywhere era, you're doing it wrong.

Axios Finish Line: Why leaders are bad communicators

Communications is now arguably the most important skill for any leader.

Communications

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sign up here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" data-vars-content-id="c2b025e7-4492-4aae-9ff1-f7b1f86046a3" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Why leaders are bad communicators" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" target="_self">Sign up here</a>. Every business, nonprofit and organization in the world needs to rethink — quickly and dramatically — how it communicates to its employees, donors, customers and shareholders.Why it matters: Communications is now arguably the most important skill for any leader and function inside any organization, big or small.  And most suck at it.

Occam's razor teaches us that the simplest explanation is usually the right one.  

Here's the new Axios' Razor: The simplest way of doing things is usually the right one.

Why it matters: Too many people too often lard up ideas, processes, teams or companies with needless complexity. Simplicity, by contrast, greases velocity, productivity and profitability.

This is my big obsession heading into 2023, as Axios grows from 500 people to 1,000+ in the coming years: How can we cut away complexity at every level, in every area, to make everything we do simple, fast, intuitive for staff — and readers?

This fights against the human habit of keeping things once we secure them.

At work, that habit is very hard to break. 

Think of it this way: Every new person needs to do something and usually wants to add their own special something to it. Each new something breeds new complexities, merely by existing. 

Once something is spawned, it's rarely killed. Or even revisited. Killing things is often harder than creating them — that something has an owner and constituencies. It's easier to justify keeping it than killing it. 

That's why everything big becomes bureaucratic. (It's also why public policy is so hard to fix.)

Everyone should do a simplicity audit of their life and work. And given the speed of change, do it every six months.

Do you really need this — or use this often enough to justify it?

Is there a faster, easier way to do things? 

Some random ways we think about simplicity: 

More is often less. There's an inverse relationship between the number of people involved and the quality/velocity of products. Most managers think the opposite: The instinct is to think about adding to fix things, instead of eliminating things you have. 

Simplicity works everywhere. One of the smartest things we did six years ago was adopt a principle we call "elegant efficiency" for all our visual & product designs. Readers yearn for clarity — so you need hard guardrails to block complexity. The same with our Smart Brevity™ writing architecture. It's all about making life simpler and more intuitive. 

A simplicity czar. If I were designing the company from scratch, I'd have a CSO — chief simplicity officer — whose job was to make sure everything we did was constantly reviewed for ease and essentialism.  This mandate falls on Axios' new head of operations. But everyone needs this role in title or focus. 

Back to basics. Constantly revisiting what your team or consumers need is the key. Would this exist if we started from scratch today? If no, kill it — or simplify it.

Axios Finish Line: The simplicity doctrine

Too many people too often lard up ideas with needless complexity.

Illustration of three pencils drawing their way through a maze, with one pencil going straight through the center

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sign up here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" data-vars-content-id="cb0c6995-750f-4611-8ae3-90ccbe0bf0a4" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The simplicity doctrine" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" target="_self">Sign up here</a>. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Occam&#x27;s razor" data-vars-click-url="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Occam%27s%20razor" data-vars-content-id="cb0c6995-750f-4611-8ae3-90ccbe0bf0a4" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The simplicity doctrine" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Occam%27s%20razor" target="_blank">Occam&#x27;s razor</a> teaches us that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. <ul><li>Here&#x27;s the new Axios&#x27; Razor: The simplest way of doing things is usually the right one.</li></ul>Why it matters: Too many people too often lard up ideas, processes, teams or companies with needless complexity. Simplicity, by contrast, greases velocity, productivity and profitability.

Jim VandeHei

Stories

Axios Finish Line: Choose joy

Axios Finish Line: Don't be a loser

Axios Finish Line: The simplicity doctrine

Axios Finish Line: Why leaders are bad communicators

Axios Finish Line: The gift of candor

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🏁 Axios Finish Line: Pandemic silver lining

🗺️ Axios Finish Line: An unexpected boom

🏁 Axios Finish Line: Mindfulness and meds

👀 Axios Finish Line: Weakness

🏁 Axios Finish Line: A stat to celebrate