Show, Don't Yell
I was typing a comment on my phone and fat-fingered the keyboard, accidentally turning the old advice into “show, don’t yell.”
I think I like the typo better!
The context was a behind the scenes change to boost our velocity. It reminded me that you can yell as loud as you want about a significant investment or architecture switch, but the audience only cares for answers to two questions:
- Internal Stakeholders: “Is the value clearly articulated (for funding and faith)?”
- External Stakeholders: “Has the value been shipped (the only proof we accept)?”
To be clear, I’ve certainly had my fair share of getting lost in the weeds, and trying to catch giants’ attention by yelling about the technical tour-de-force instead of the tangible outcome. This typo was a great, humbling reminder that it’s easier to get noticed by putting on a show than yelling at passerbys.
The principle holds true: Delivery over hype.
Do you have a favorite accidental typo that ended up being a better rule?