Managing By Coincidence

Leaders often act like they are improvising a jazz solo, throwing out decisions without a plan and hoping the notes land. The piece calls this "leadership by coincidence" - a habit where managers react to problems with random fixes, copy-pasting solutions, or trusting a LLM, then move on without understanding why it worked. This mindset breeds inconsistency, makes it hard to repeat messages, and slowly destroys team confidence.

The author points out that the same pattern shows up in technical work: developers scramble for a quick fix, then ship it without reflection. When leaders mirror that behavior, they lose the ability to set coherent expectations, align values, and give their team a stable north star. Without a clear through-line, trust erodes and morale drops as people can't predict what will be asked of them.

The remedy is to treat leadership like a craft, not a jam session. Build a personal brand of values, communicate them consistently, and pause to question whether actions align with those principles. When perspectives shift, own the change publicly. By being purposeful, a leader creates a predictable environment where teams can operate with confidence and focus on real growth rather than surviving random improvisations.