They're Smart, They'll Get There

Why the hardest part of leadership is watching someone take a ride you've already been on

Welcome to Frank Takeaways. I'm Frank, writing the notes worth keeping from decades at companies like Slack, Etsy, and Google. I run a coaching practice dedicated to guiding leaders through the tricky stuff of building products and high-performing teams.

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The yellow school bus pulled up to the farm at 11:23 AM. I know because I’d been checking my watch. My daughter’s first field trip, and the bus was running late — over an hour behind schedule. We’d have just enough time before loading back up.

A little over an hour later, as we loaded back onto the bus, I asked her what her favorite part was so far.

“The bus ride!” she said, bouncing as we walked back.

Not the chickens, pigs, or goats she’d fed. The bus. The same yellow bus that smelled faintly of diesel and had seats that bounced too hard over every bump.

I started to feel that familiar parental impulse to redi…