We wrote a book (and would love your support today)

Tough Enough is out September 29. Here’s why we wrote it and how to grab a copy early.

Matt Hunter • August 21, 2026

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The manifesto series (vision, mission, values, and standards) came out of two years of work (and decades of experience) that John Baird and I have now developed into a book. It's called Tough Enough: How to Lead a Team to Greatness Without Being a Jerk; it's out September 29, and it's available to pre-order today.

The argument, briefly: Some of the most admired companies of the last thirty years were also brutal places to work, and we've quietly accepted that as the trade-off, that greatness requires someone unbearable at the top.

It doesn't. But the alternative isn't being nice, either.

Between us, John and I have spent decades coaching founders, CEOs, and executives… his at Apple, Nike, and DoorDash; mine at startups backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, and NEA. We kept meeting the same two leaders. One was too hard on people and burning them out. The other was too soft and not getting results. Both were told to become the other person, and both resisted.

Nobody was offering them a third option: to become Tough Enough. That's the book.

Pre-orders matter immensely for a book like this—they dictate retailer distribution, print runs, and launch momentum. If the ideas in this newsletter have been valuable to you, here are three quick ways to support the launch:

1. ​Pre-order it. Pre-orders greatly influence launch week outcomes and genuinely move the needle for a book like this. (If you want copies for your team, just reply directly to this email)
2. Share it. A post to your network does more than anything we can say about ourselves.
3. Forward this to one leader who needs it. You probably thought of someone by the fourth paragraph.

We'll be right back to your regularly scheduled, good ol' fashioned newsletter post next week.

Matt

P.S. John Mackey, who built Whole Foods over forty-two years and who I interviewed for the book (while he had a broken neck), said: "If you believe you have to choose between being respectful and being effective, Tough Enough will change your mind."