42 Rules to Lead By from the Man Who Defined Google's Product Strategy

Effective leadership requires understanding how to guide your employees toward greater productivity and creativity. But what actions, specifically, will yield these desired results? Former Google senior vice president of products Jonathan Rosenberg has concrete advice:

First and foremost, great leaders must communicate clearly and succinctly. Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself to get your message through. Show your employees you trust them by sharing information. Leadership and teaching go hand-in-hand; good teachers tell great stories. Never forget to listen, and always ask thoughtful questions.

“Power comes from sharing information not hoarding it.”

Leaders build a culture that people want to be a part of. The best ideas don’t always come from the top of the company hierarchy, so encourage everyone to contribute and make choices based on the data. Reward originality. Keep teams small, and require employees’ presence in the office.

A leader must know how to build a great team. To do this, make hiring decisions collectively and don’t rush the process. Look for applicants with “passion” (even if it’s for something not work-related), and prioritize diversity. Avoid hiring people with narrow skill sets. Give credit where it’s due (based on merit), and get rid of staff who don’t give their best effort.

“Real life is a meritocracy. Some perform better than others. So if you want better performance from the best, celebrate and reward what you want to see more of.” (former Google senior vice president Jonathan Rosenberg)

When it comes to decision-making, pursue goals that won’t end up “creating conflict.” (But don’t go overboard by refusing to move forward unless there’s 100% agreement.) Always keep your customer in mind.

Many leaders hope to inspire innovation. It’s important to keep in mind that while encouraging creativity is important, “micromanaging the creative process” won’t work. Instead, embrace change and support ideas that will keep your company moving forward. However, great change doesn’t come without risk: Be ready for failure and, when it comes, learn from it.

“Would you work for yourself? If you wouldn’t, why should anyone else?”

Stay humble. You don’t know everything, so never stop learning. After you’ve built an excellent team, stop trying to do everything yourself. Delegate. Don’t be a hypocrite: If you have a vision, commit to it “body and soul.”