5 Operating Principles That Held Up In 2025
Not another Wrapped email…
Because no one needs another Wrapped email.1
I’ve been mulling over however to close out this year on Substack amidst the sea of listicles, year end reports and Wrapped campaigns.
If you’re Substack savvy, it’s easy to see what my most popular posts were. But, what you can’t see is what I learned and relearned this year. Those operating principles feel a lot more valuable to share heading into the new year.
So as the Tik Tokers say, let’s get into it…
1) Aim to spend the majority of your time in your flow state
Ikigai, alignment, flow state, “in your gifts”…whatever you want to call it. You know it when you feel it: work that lights you and keeping you energized.
It’s the type of work that leaves you buzzing after hours, brainstorming late into the evening or early on a Saturday morning because it’s so deeply aligned with how you want to spend your time. If you have the capacity to spend 80% of your time in flow state, in activities that bring you energy rather than deplete you, I’ve personally found that the sky is truly the limit.
Notably, flow state doesn’t just happen.
It comes with deep awareness - do I know where my flow state exists? - and intention - how can I design my work to match my flow states?
It’s something I’ve coached on countless times, but something I had to put into practice myself this year stepping into a full time role again.
It takes discipline to enforce but its magic when you do.
2) Remove linguistic hedgers from your lexicon
Stepping into a leadership role this year, I was cognizant of how to assert my executive presence in my communication style.
With that came the removal of softening language, phrases like “I think,” “I just,” that signaled apprehension and invited debate while I was busy trying to make a confident point.
It was a hard habit to course correct, particularly as a woman, as this lexicon is embedded into my writing, spoken word, and often body language. So, this year, I spent a lot of time unlearning a lot of these default communication ticks that retracted from establishing myself as a thought leader. It turns out words matter, no matter who you’re talking to: a leadership team, a team of direct reports, or even yourself. Making a concerted effort to use words that land confidently will pay off in the long term.
3) Practice writing without AI, often
Tools like ChatGPT and Wispr Flow helped me operate at a speed I’ve never run at before this past year. It’s incredible to see how much I’ve gotten done with the help of these tools. Geeps2, as a I lovingly refer to ChatGPT, served as my research assistant, my writing partner and at times, a quick coach.
The consequence, of course, is that my writing has atrophied. Why? Because I haven’t been forced to really sit and think through my communication in ways I’ve had to before. It’s become too easy to have a machine do it for me.
A few weeks ago, I sat down and forced myself to write a work email from scratch. It was a very strong, well-written argument written without the use of ChatGPT. It was really a killer, beautiful email.
It served as an important reminder to continue to hone use my writers brain, often, no matter how easy it is to get robotic help.
And speaking of getting help…
4) Don’t bowl alone.
No good products are born in a vacuum.
Plus, bowling alone is boring.
Joining a new team this year was a reminder that collaboration isn’t only a way to help manage up, manage out, and manage expectations. It’s a way to more build better products.
This year, I did it in two ways:
I brought my team (and you fine readers!) along for my onboarding & learning journey. When I started at Hampton, I was knee deep in research, books, and ideas, doing my best to learn all about the best group experiences. Sharing my experience wasn’t just strategic, it made joining a team more fun and 10x’ed my learning. I’d recommend this approach to anyone starting a new job. Stay transparent and stay collaborative.
More recently, scoping out a new product, I tapped my non-normal collaborators to help me with product discovery. It was such an amazing reminder that I never have the best ideas in the room and that I can 10x my ideas when I bring in other voices and perspectives. Solutions get better when we piggyback off of each other’s ideas. Always.
5) Champion yourself in authentic ways
Many years ago, I learned the hard way that no one is going to advocate for you but you.
This year, I’ve spent countless hours coaching and mentoring others to do the same: evangelize your work, champion your accomplishments, and communicate your wins to your coworkers like they’re your customers.
Like a strategic politician, keep your language
tight,
repeatable,
understandable.
Don’t be scared to over communicate.
You’re probably under communicating.
There’s a reason that politicians with digestible language and ideas make their way to the top.
A special thanks to those who have been around for a long time and for those who are just discovering this Substack. Writing here has reinvigorated my joy for writing over the past two years, and it means a lot to see that you stuck around to read what I have to say. Happy Holidays!
Let’s talk about LinkedIn’s clunky AF wrapped email that required me to open it via QR code. Whoever designed this needs to be jailed.
Ironically sounds like Jeeves, which reminds me of Ask Jeeves! #tbt