Peer Groups Beat Mentors

Shaan Puri shares his unorthodox but effective management and leadership techniques that he's developed through experience. These are practices you won't typically find in business books or management training.

Key Techniques:

• The Doctor House Technique:

  • Don't spoon-feed answers to your team
  • Present data/information and ask "What do you see here?"
  • Trains team to be curious and clever
  • Allows team members to find insights you might have missed

• The Holiday Party Tactic:

  • Visualize success by imagining end-of-year celebration
  • Gets people thinking creatively and relaxed
  • Helps identify north star metrics
  • Plans from confidence rather than fear

• The Misery Loves Company Tactic:

  • Work backwards from failure
  • Ask "If this failed, what would be the reason?"
  • Helps identify core risks early
  • Creates safe space to discuss potential problems

• The F-Murder-Mary Game:

  • Creates safe space to identify what needs to be cut
  • Ask "If you had to cut 3 things, what would they be?"
  • Applies to team members, projects, or clients
  • Plants seeds for future trimming decisions

• The Superpower Technique:

  • Present each team member's unique strength
  • Give them a nickname that matches their superpower
  • Makes strengths both true and aspirational
  • People live up to the identity you give them

• Additional Tools:

  • Tesla Master Plan: Write out your company's master plan
  • Calendar Audit: Use color coding to identify energy-giving vs draining activities
  • Peer Groups: Create small groups (5-6) of peers with similar goals
  • Kickoff Document: Clear template for project starts with goals, wins, and anti-goals

These techniques focus on creating psychological safety, encouraging honest discussion, and building team confidence while maintaining practical forward momentum.