I often reference Bill Campbell’s leadership playbook because it closely aligns with my own core values.
At the center of all of them is a simple goal: make the people around you better.
Campbell, known as the “coach” behind leaders at Google, Apple, and many other Silicon Valley companies, believed leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s about creating the environment where great people could do their best work.
Here are the principles, and questions I come back to most:
It’s the people
Get the right people in the right roles. Look for intelligence, integrity, humility, hard work, persistence, and most importantly, coachability. Score adaptability.
Is this person coachable, or am I trying to change someone who doesn’t want to change?
Build an envelope of trust
Trust is the foundation for everything else. Create an environment where people can disagree, admit mistakes, challenge ideas, and tell you what you don’t want to hear.
Start with the human connection. Campbell advocated beginning meetings with “trip reports” and learning what’s happening in people’s lives before jumping into business.
Do my actions match what I say I value?
Work the team, then the problem
One of Campbell’s most powerful ideas: don’t immediately solve the problem. Fix the team dynamics first and any unresolved conflict.
Once the team works, the team can solve the problem.
What conversations are we avoiding? e.g. roles, responsibilities, incentives, etc.
Listen before you lead
Practice free-form listening. Don’t immediately stick your answer in someone’s ear. Ask questions, create space, and help people reach their own conclusions.
Am I listening to understand, or listening to respond.
Debate hard, then decide
Lead from first principles. Get the facts on the table, encourage disagreement, and find the best idea, not necessarily consensus.
Turn the decision into an owner, action, and deadline.
What’s next?
Give people courage
Great leaders don’t just provide answers. They give people the confidence to take risks, speak up, pursue ambitious ideas, and recover from failure.
Hold people accountable while helping them keep their head held high.
What would we do if we weren’t afraid of being wrong?
Team First
Individual brilliance isn’t enough. The best teams prioritize the company over ego, politics, and personal credit.
Fill the gaps between people. Pair complementary strengths. Celebrate wins. Care about people as whole human beings.
Are we putting the team’s success ahead of our individual success?
The ultimate yardstick
Campbell’s measure of leadership was simple:
Are the people around you becoming better because of you?
Your title makes you a manager. Your people make you a leader.
That’s why this playbook continues to resonate with me. Leadership was never about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about staying curious enough to keep learning, showing compassion for the people you’re leading, creating joy in the work, staying humble enough to listen, and creating the play-to-win mindset to pursue ambitious goals together.
Above all, it’s about building trust and make the people around you better. A rising tide lifts all boats.