My approach to work is about distilling things to their simplest form. Process and frameworks quickly go from aides to weapons; you get lost in the machinery rather than the mission and desired outcome. Simplification isn’t reduction—it’s clarity. It’s also an important exercise to articulate your approach and beliefs clearly. There’s something about the rhythm of three that sticks. But what’s more important than how I personally approach work is what I’ve learned by observing great leaders I’ve worked with or admired from afar. From all the frameworks, experiences, and memories, I’ve distilled three pillars that endure: Craft, Credibility, and Conviction.
The three leadership pillars
These aren’t abstract ideas—they’re lessons earned from building teams, shipping products, and sometimes getting it wrong. Each pillar represents a different kind of weight leaders carry: Craft keeps your hands in the work, Credibility keeps your word intact, and Conviction keeps your compass steady when things get uncertain.
Craft
Craft is the throughline of any creative leader. It’s not just about the ability to make — it’s the mindset of shaping something with intent. Craft reveals how you think, not just what you produce. In leadership, it’s the difference between managing outcomes and understanding the materials of the work itself. A leader grounded in craft can move fluidly between abstraction and detail, translating vision into something tangible.
Without craft, leadership becomes direction without texture. Teams follow leaders who can show what good looks like, not just say it. In the AI era, where tools are abundant and iteration is instantaneous, craft is the differentiator that signals taste, discernment, and care. It builds credibility not through authority, but through the quiet evidence of having done the work.
Evidence of practice: Signals of progress or maturity in craft often show up subtly
You can move from concept to prototype quickly — not to prove yourself, but to clarify thinking.
Your critique shifts from opinion (“I like this”) to principle (“This aligns with our intent”).
You build processes that support creativity instead of constraining it.
You find satisfaction not in the polish of the artifact, but in the coherence of the system around it.
People on your team start using your vocabulary for quality — a sign your craft is being transferred, not just performed.
Anti-signals: When craft is missing, leadership starts to feel hollow — decisions get made at the surface. You might see…
Delegation without direction — assigning work without shaping the problem.
Over-indexing on management frameworks instead of the actual product.
Feedback that’s aesthetic but not actionable (“It doesn’t pop enough”).
Confusing speed for progress — shipping often, learning little.
A detachment from tools and materials, where making becomes “someone else’s job.”
When leaders stay close to the craft, everything else—strategy, communication, trust—starts to hold its shape. That’s where credibility begins.
Credibility
Credibility is the bridge between what you claim and what others experience. It’s not self-declared; it’s conferred by the people who’ve seen you follow through. Your track record becomes your proof of work—evident not only in outcomes, but in the quiet back channels of those who’ve worked with you. True credibility isn’t about being liked; it’s about being trusted.
In leadership, credibility is the multiplier. It turns your words into momentum. People commit to a direction when they believe the person setting it has earned that belief—through authenticity, consistency, and results. In fast-moving environments, credibility becomes the stabilizer: when everything around you is uncertain, trust in your character and competence is what keeps teams aligned.
Evidence of practice: Credibility shows up through reputation, behavior, and follow-through
Your past work stands up to quiet scrutiny—people who’ve worked with you vouch for your integrity and impact.
You don’t need to overstate your expertise; it’s visible in your decisions and the clarity of your thinking.
You communicate honestly, even when it’s uncomfortable.
People believe your praise because they’ve also heard your critique.
When you speak on a topic, others listen because they know you’ve done the work.
Anti-signals: When credibility is thin, trust erodes quickly—even when intentions are good. You might see…
Inflating expertise or taking credit for work you didn’t do.
Speaking with authority without the depth to support it.
Overpromising outcomes to gain short-term buy-in.
Avoiding transparency when things go wrong.
A pattern of performative communication—saying what sounds right instead of what’s true or accurate.
Conviction
Conviction is the spine of leadership—the courage to take a stand and act on it. It’s having a point of view clear enough that people know where you stand, even when you’re not in the room. Conviction isn’t volume; it’s clarity. It’s less about being certain and more about being willing to commit despite uncertainty.
Without conviction, leadership becomes consensus chasing. Great leaders listen deeply, but they don’t wait for permission to move. Conviction turns belief into momentum—it’s what allows teams to rally behind a direction before the path is fully defined. In creative and technical work alike, conviction builds confidence not by being infallible, but by showing that you’ll own your choices, learn from them, and adjust without losing your center.
Evidence of practice: You can often sense conviction in the way a leader navigates ambiguity
You express clear beliefs and principles that guide decisions—people know where you stand.
You take calculated risks aligned with those principles, not for attention but for progress.
You act when others hesitate, giving shape to uncertainty.
When you’re wrong, you stand by your decisions and reflect on them openly.
Your team feels permission to have their own convictions because you model how to hold them responsibly.
Anti-signals: When conviction fades, leadership drifts. You might see
Cannot clearly articulate what they care about or believe.
Avoiding decisions until consensus feels safe.
Changing your stance to mirror the loudest opinion in the room.
Framing everything as an exploration or collaboration to avoid accountability.
Over-indexing on data to disguise fear of judgment.
Recap
Frameworks are helpful, but they don’t make you a leader. They can organize your work, not your growth. Craft, Credibility, and Conviction are slower to build but harder to break. They develop through repetition, reflection, and care — not by following a playbook, but by paying attention.
Processes will change. Titles will change. Org shapes will change. The tools you use will eventually be replaced. But these pillars grow with you. They shape how you see, how you decide, and how you show up for others. You can’t shortcut them or outsource them — you can only practice them.
That’s why the best leaders aren’t defined by what framework they follow, but by what pillars they’ve built. The difference is permanence: frameworks organize a moment in time; pillars hold the weight of a career.
Hyperlinks + notes
Meet Rovo everywhere: AI that connects every app, every team, every workflow
OpenAI’s inflated valuation, as I understand it | Talor Anderson
Immersive live NBA games coming to Vision Pro → This is cool!
The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019–2025 | Dwarkesh Patel with Gavin Leech → Current read; great overview of what’s happened in the short history of the AI boom