Naming what you see is one of the most powerful acts of leadership If you’re a leader, you can’t afford to keep your judgments to yourself. Here’s why. Matt Hunter • October 7, 2025 We’re all guilty of silently judging others in the privacy of our own minds. In most interpersonal contexts, that’s not a behavior you want to indulge in too much. But in business, there’s real value to giving voice to your private judgments—and there’s a right way to do it. In fact, the willingness to candidly...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Leadership Isn't Supposed to Make You (or Anyone Else) Feel Good If you’re doing it right, there will be pain. You will piss people off. Great leaders learn to embrace the discomfort. Matt Hunter • September 23, 2025 Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia—the technology giant worth over $4 trillion—famously said, “If you want to be great, I wish you lots of pain and suffering.” It’s a bold statement, but he meant it. In fact, Jensen later admitted that if he knew how hard it would be to build Nvidia, he...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
The Trap of Lazy Candor Why unfiltered honesty can damage trust and what real candor requires Matt Hunter • September 9, 2025 Candor—the ability to speak frankly, openly, and honestly—is a powerful tool. When overdone, however, it can become harmful. And when used without intention, it becomes lazy. The appeal of “I’m just being honest” becomes a defense for communication that lacks mindfulness and intentionality. True candor isn't about dumping every unfiltered thought or feeling just...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Be brutally honest, but don’t make it personal In a high-stakes business environment, “This sucks” is okay. “You suck” is not okay. Matt Hunter • August 26, 2025 At the highest levels of business, there’s little room for sugar-coating, pleasantries, or beating around the bush. Winning requires honesty, and in some cases, brutal honesty. But brutal honesty doesn’t mean personal attacks. There’s a world of difference between This idea isn’t strong enough and You’re not good enough. For tough...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
What the Early Days of the “PayPal Mafia” Reveal About Tough Leadership The tech company's ascent to power offers a masterclass in leading through radical honesty and fearless debate. Matt Hunter • August 12, 2025 In my last post, I talked about the importance of honest feedback and passionate debate in getting to the truth in business. I think of this style of leading as “truth-driven leadership”: building a culture where hard truths are spoken openly, and where debate and disagreement are...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Great leaders know how to get to the truth If you want to win, start by getting honest. Matt Hunter • July 29, 2025 The best leaders are hardcore truth-tellers and seekers. Telling the truth is easier said than done. While most people place a high value on truth (or at least claim to), they’re not necessarily willing to face the truth—or go through the tension and discomfort required to excavate it. As Jack Nicholson famously said in A Few Good Men: “You want the truth? You can’t handle the...
3 months ago • 5 min read
What great leaders know about themselves that most others don’t What level of intensity can you sustain without crashing? It’s time to learn your Ideal RPE: Rate of Perceived Exertion. Matt Hunter • July 15, 2025 Capitalism doesn’t care about your well-being. I’ll say that one more time: Capitalism doesn’t care about your well-being. If you don’t protect yourself, the modern world will grind you down and burn you out. It’s nothing personal; that’s just the way the system was designed. Its...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Embrace Your Dark Side Don’t just befriend your shadow—make it work in your favor. Matt Hunter • July 1, 2025 If you want to achieve something extraordinary, you can’t ignore the hidden forces that drive you, also known as your dark side. Carl Jung called this the ‘shadow’—the unconscious, repressed aspects of ourselves that don’t fit the curated, socially acceptable version of who we’re told to be. Things like shame, guilt, unworthiness, feelings of rejection or abandonment, rage,...
4 months ago • 5 min read
Let Go of the Need to Be Liked Tough leaders don’t seek approval—they seek results. Matt Hunter • June 3, 2025 We all want to be liked. You, me, and pretty much everyone else you know. To seek social approval is just about the most human thing there is—but it can get us into trouble, especially as leaders. I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: Chasing likability is a trap for leaders. And it’s one that I’ve seen too many fall right into. The problem with trying to get everyone to like you is...
5 months ago • 3 min read