Ten Leadership Rules. One Principle Behind Them All.

This week I step away from a career that has been the backbone of my life.

Decades leading product development. Over a thousand products launched. A team that grew from a handful of people to over 100. Living and working in the c-suite of a company I love.

We worked hard. Played hard. And had a lot of fun. This is my team as of September 2025 at the annual company meeting.

People often ask what my favorite product was. I mean, who wouldn't, it's the Boston Beer Company.

I have many products I enjoyed. But my true love was working with people.

The conversations that expanded how we thought. The moments where the direction was unclear—and then suddenly wasn’t. Being human together and solving problems.

Together, we built integration. Science and creativity. Structure and instinct.

Leadership created an environment where great products were made—and where a $2 billion company was built.

Leadership created a space for people to think. Where they could challenge each other. Where they could solve problems that didn’t come with clean answers.

That’s what built the business. That’s what built the team. That’s where leadership actually lived.

And over time, something else became clear.

Leadership requires intentional curiosity to calm the storm.

Not control. Nor perfection.

A leader must be unequivocally present.

The environment has to be safe. Open. And curiosity allows for that.

Representing our team with great pride. September 2025.

Curiosity may sound soft. It’s not.

It’s one of the hardest disciplines in leadership.

Because it asks you to pause in the exact moment you want to react. To loosen your grip on being right. To sit in the discomfort of not knowing—just long enough to see more clearly.

Curiosity doesn’t survive in ego.

But it slows time.

And in that slowing, something opens.

You start to see what’s actually happening. Not just your version of it.

You explore what people mean. Not just what they say.

You create space—for better thinking, better decisions, and for the team to move as a unit.

Over time, I realized most of the “rules” I followed weren’t rules at all.

They were ways to protect that space.

Why does that matter?

Because curiosity changes the energy of a room.

It creates calm in the middle of pressure. It removes the need to blame. It grounds decisions in reality instead of assumption.

And people feel it.

They exhale. They stop performing and start contributing. They engage with the real problem instead of protecting themselves from it.

That’s when the work gets better.

Not easier. Smarter. More informed.

Better.

Over time, I developed a set of guidelines that helped me return to that mindset—again and again.

They’re easy to understand. They’re hard to live.

1. Maximize the time available for people to think

Process allows us to use our mind-time better Good process isn’t bureaucracy. It’s relief. It removes the constant question of “who do I go to?” so the mind can focus on what actually needs thinking.

Get clarity Confusion is loud. It pulls teams in different directions. Slow down enough to understand what problem you’re actually solving.

Plant the seeds for future success Outcomes aren’t accidental. The conditions you create today shape the decisions that become available tomorrow.

2. Lead in a way that builds trust

Be honest and transparent Truth creates safety. When people trust what you say, they take risks. And they trust you when the answer is no.

People are just people People mess up. People do extraordinary things. Everyone is carrying something you can’t see. Let people be human.

Assume ignorance Before you assume intent, assume something hasn’t been understood yet. That shift alone can change a conversation.

If someone doesn’t meet my expectations, check my guidance first Leadership starts earlier than you think—in what you said, what you didn’t, and what you assumed was obvious.

3. Stay open so better solutions can emerge

Be hungry Stay interested. Stay awake. The next insight is often one better question away.

Say no by saying yes When something feels impossible, don’t shut it down. Explore it. What would it take? What are the risks? Let the business decide with eyes open.

There are no good or bad decisions. There are just decisions and the next choice Release the need to judge the past. Stay with what’s in front of you. What’s the next move?

When curiosity is present, something shifts.

The room softens. People breathe. Conversations become more honest—sometimes more uncomfortable, but more effective.

Decisions become clearer—not because they’re obvious, but because they’re grounded.

Curiosity creates space.

Space for calm. Space for understanding. Space to choose the next step with intention.

And in leadership, that space is everything.

As I step away from this chapter, I keep coming back to one thought.

It was never really about the products.

It was about people—trying to figure something out together. Trying to build something better than what existed before. Trying to see what wasn’t obvious yet.

The best leaders I’ve worked with all shared one thing.

They stayed curious.

And when they did, everyone around them had a better chance of doing the same.