9 leadership principles I wish I knew sooner

Hey Contrarians,

Today marks 37 years since I was born on this floating rock.

And approximately 0 years since I've had all my sh*t together.

Constantly learning, constantly improving. And boy oh boy has there been a lot of learning and improving these last 10 years.

Starting Contrarian Thinking (and a couple other companies), buying several biz's, and investing in many more. It has me thinking often about leadership…

Today, indulge me in a reflection on the leadership lessons I most wish I could pass on to 27-year-old Codie.

And PS: I’m hosting a free, live Masterclass next week – 5 steps to buy a biz that diversifies your portfolio beyond real estate. If I was into gimmicks, I'd tell you to sign up as a b-day gift to me. But I'm not, so instead sign up because it's a free opportunity to learn a life-changing path to wealth. (More a gift to you, if we look at it that way). But we’re capped at 5k attendees, so sign up here ASAP so you don't miss out.

Today in 10 minutes or less, you'll learn:

✔️ Contrarian framework: The triple mentor approach

✔️ 9 Leadership principles I know at 37, I wish I knew at 27

✔️ The world is full of sh*tty leaders

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Contrarian framework: The triple mentor approach

I believe one relationship has the power to change your entire life.

But it's always smart to look for more than one perspective…

I learned this triple-mentor framework from my friend Shaan Puri, and it’s changed my leadership landscape.

You should have 3 distinct mentor dynamics:

1. The Billionaire to Your Millionaire:

Someone ahead of you on the same path. You learn from their 10,000 hours and get insights beyond your current scope. Being in their orbit pushes you to think bigger.

Pro-tip: Never ask this mentor vague questions. “How do I get rich?” is a waste. Drop value bombs for them, then keep your asks small and pointed.

2. The Peer You Can Grow With:

You’re walking side-by-side. You’ll find fresh perspectives and mutual growth.

I find this one critical (and underrated). Sharing wins and getting harsh feedback from someone in the thick of it is what makes you exit your comfort zone.

3. The Up-and-Comer:

Put down the ego and learn from an emerging/younger voice in your industry. The up-and-comer injects innovation and insight into your approaches. They see the brilliant ideas your peers have already written off.

Most questions you ask about your business, career, finances, relationships, life? They aren’t answered by a “what” or a “how.”

The answer is a “who.”

9 Leadership principles I know at 37, I wish I knew at 27

1. The best leaders fire themselves from as many roles as possible.

You can't be the marketer, the strategist, the tech guy, and the customer service guru all rolled into one. And why should you?

You're the visionary, the driving force, the one who sets the course. So, embrace the power of collaboration. Build a team that complements your strengths, challenges your blind spots, and amplifies your impact.

And then actually trust them to do the work.

Sage advice: work on your business, not in it.

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2. Harsh truth: No one cares about your business as much as you do.

People don’t care unless you answer one question: “What’s in it for me?”

You have skin in the game. Do your employees?

Some of the best moves to give your team a stake in the biz and go to battle with you:

• Encourage open communication. Do we execute on their ideas? A-players want to matter.
• Involve your team in decision-making. Win-win: the biz becomes less reliant on you, and people feel the consequences of their choices.
• Equity. I don’t give this lightly in my companies. But the best way to make your team care about your biz? Make it so they win when you win.

​

3. Micromanaging means you hired wrong.

Surefire way to tell you have the wrong people in the wrong seats:

You’re anxious about them. You double-check their work. You don’t trust them.

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4. Do everything you can to decrease meetings.

How you run meetings says a lot about how you run your life, your company, your team, and your mind.

A well-run meeting amps up your people, coordinates them, smooths out edges, and delivers a forward progression.

A bad meeting? Soul-sucking, inefficient, and feels like we’re somehow dumber than the sum of our parts.

My hack for fewer meetings: Use an agenda structure. Make your team give you feedback on it. Constantly iterate.

(Would you be interested if I shared the full template for our company meetings? Reply and let me know.)

5. No one should ever be surprised when you fire them.

Aka: Don’t be a d*ck?

Firing's never easy. But I try to use a frame.

If they’re a low-performer, that means we hired wrong to start. Our fault, not theirs. Offer guidance, and redirect their efforts to a place better-suited for their level.

High-performer? This means they’re not in the right spot. I encourage them to do the thing they actually should do, whether that’s another area of the company, a friend’s business, etc.

Firing always feels like super-villain status, but you never know – it could be the re-direction your ex-employee needs to do bigger things.

Accepting mediocrity does no one any favors.

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6. Poor performance isn’t your employee’s problem, it’s yours.

Accountability starts at the top.

Did I lay out the game plan clearly? Did I give 'em the tools they need? Do I have the wrong person in this seat?

It's not just about calling the shots; it's about helping everyone load the gun right.

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7. Track team and individual KPIs.

KPIs aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet; they're your GPS for success. You need to know what’s working and what’s not. Who's crushing it and who needs a boost.

This data tells you where the whole ship's headed. And if you can’t tell who’s in charge, no one is.

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8. Admit when you f-ed up, and give credit freely & often.

Being human is a messy thing. So let’s check our ego and work with it.

Admitting our f-ups is where growth happens.

And if someone on my team nails it, you know I’m going to embarrass them by celebrating at the next meeting. (Try it, it’s fun).

We're in this together, and celebrating wins – big and small – is how we build a team that's got each other's backs.

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9. The world is full of sh*tty leaders. The true differentiator that attracts top talent? Leading well.

I talk to a lot of small business owners. Their list of struggles is long, but always at the top? Finding and keeping good employees.

You may not be able to control the labor market, but what can you control?

You.

HR thought leaders are predicting the rise of something called “Human Leadership.” It argues that the best leadership principles aren’t so much the old-fashioned ideas of strength of will, fearlessness, or the ability to charge into a battle.

Rather, it’s much more simple:

Empathy, adaptability, and authenticity.

And most leaders aren’t hacking it.

Competence and realness. A little bit goes a long way. Turns out, good humans like working for good humans.

Adelante = always moving forward
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- Codie

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🎂 Build a team that's the GOAT (From my analyst, not the creative team😂)

😥 Let’s flip a coin: Heads we buy groceries, tails we pay student loans

🎓 Probably unrelated: College enrollment ↓ 3.1M, tuition revenue ↑ $6.9B

📺 Closed captioning: Not the hero we deserve, but the one we needed

🩺 Ever had a doctor whose bedside manner was... Robotic? You might soon​

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