Anti-Goals Drive Success

Shaan Puri shares his unorthodox but effective management and leadership techniques that he's developed through experience. These aren't typically taught in business schools but have proven valuable in his companies.

Key Management Tactics:

• The Doctor House Technique:

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

• The Holiday Party Tactic:

  • Visualize success by imagining end-of-year celebration
  • Gets people thinking creatively and relaxed
  • Helps identify north star metrics naturally
  • Works better than direct analytical questions

• The Misery Loves Company Approach:

  • Imagine project failed and meeting for a beer
  • Ask "What went wrong?" to identify core risks
  • Helps surface potential issues without defensiveness

• The F-Murder-Mary Game:

  • Create safe space to identify what to cut
  • Ask hypothetically "If you had to cut 3 things..."
  • Works for team members, projects, or customers
  • Plants seeds for future trimming decisions

• The Superpower Technique:

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

• Calendar Audit Method:

  • Review calendar with three colors:
    • Green: Energy-giving activities
    • Red: Soul-crushing activities
    • Yellow: Neutral activities
  • Goal: Minimize red, maximize green over time

• Additional Techniques:

  • Create peer groups for shared goals
  • Use kickoff documents for project clarity
  • Write master plans inspired by Tesla's approach

• Anti-Goals Framework:

  • Define what you don't want to happen
  • Example: "Success but never home with family"
  • Helps avoid pyrrhic victories
  • Creates clearer boundaries for success