Here’s how I put point #1 in practice. First, I run into a situation in which someone is clearly being political, sneaky, unfair, or all of the above. Then I draft a scathing email. Then I remember how many times I ended up with my foot in my mouth because what seemed like a clear-cut act of evil was a misunderstanding. I also remember how many times my carelessness or ignorance led someone else to think I was guilty of a clear-cut act of evil. Then I pick up the phone and say, “Hey, help me understand this.”

There’s almost always a reasonable explanation. And when there isn’t… “Never attribute to malice that which you can attribute to stupidity.” Don’t remember where I saw that, but words to live by.

#1: Act with the expectation of positive intent — I don’t get it. I keep reading it but I’m not sure how to put it in practice.

For all the points — are these primarily for the manager, are are they both for the manager and the people s/he manages? If not the latter, then each one has an interesting corollary of how it would feel to the managed staff. For example, #4 ‘Cut down on sources of stimulation,’ might benefit staff by having a manager that has the time and attention to lead and help them with critical matters.

Finally, I think you’re emphasizing the last principle, which I heartily agree with.

#2 – Treat your own credit as karma, but make sure that your people get credit when they deserve it

#3 – Especially in times of change and uncertainty, talk as much as needed to give your team context, structure, and a vision of the future

“Better, faster, cheaper; pick two.”

I learned these 2 phrases, and their variations, when I got into the creative business more than 25 years ago, and they’d already been around a while before that. Whether in planning or production stages, whether concepting or executing, the ability to stop and assess is critical for any forward momentum. Sometimes teams hate it, especially folks newer to the business, but I’d rather take 2 days to plan than 2 weeks to re-do.

As an aside, one of the things I am finding more useful with my mobile phone is the ability to quickly and immediately delete the 80% of useless emails I recieve daily. I read the subject and first couple of lines and if it doesn’t fit my criteria of useful or important, I send it back into the ether immediately. Upon arriving at work later, I know that those things in my inbox are all at least somewhat filtered and therefore important.