Clarify decision rights before diving into work

He would tell you what the rules of engagement were for every meeting... 'I'm going to give you a spectrum of A, how much I care about this topic. Everything from I don't care... All the way to I'm the founder, I'm the CEO, just do this.'

Sometimes we're going to have a say, we're going to be able to participate, sometimes we're not. And being clear on who the decision maker is in a change is really important.

I want you to start the meeting with the following... let's get really clear on what both, what's the intention of this iteration that we're doing on the product? What defines success, and what do I want to get accomplished in this meeting?

The word alignment in terms of we're all aligned as a group, the word alignment is stupid and it shouldn't be used. People don't actually agree, they're not actually aligned on the decision. That's just the thing that makes you feel better.