The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Ben Horowitz examines the decisions leaders face when no easy answer exists, drawing on his experience to explore crises, executive management, layoffs, organizational growth, and the psychological demands of running a company.

4 sections ยท 12 lessons

Course outline

Surviving Reality

  1. Face the Struggle
  2. Tell It Like It Is
  3. Fire Lead Bullets
  4. Choose the Last Move

Human Consequences

  1. Lay People Off Right
  2. Preserve Respect in Firing
  3. Put People First
  4. Make the Human Call

Scaling the Organization

  1. Hire for Needed Strength
  2. Pay Management Debt
  3. Make One-on-Ones Flow Up
  4. Program Culture Through Action
  5. Redesign the Scaling Team

The CEO's Job

  1. Switch Between Peace and War
  2. Decide and Make It Happen
  3. Declare War Without Losing Yourself

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