Every Manager Should Build Their Own Playbook

By Ethan Nash

What if every leader/manager built their own leadership playbook?

 I’m talking about a short, clear document that captures the personal mission, values, principles, practices, and skills we choose to lead by. Something we can come back to when we’re in the weeds and need to reset and refocus.

 As leaders, we (hopefully?) learn a lot over time -- through experience, books, podcasts (like the Managing with Mind & Heart Podcast, of course ), trainings, and hard lessons. But if we don’t distill that learning, we won’t use it. Because, as the saying goes, if everything is your focus, nothing is.

 Our playbook should be a living document. Just like a strong business strategy, it should evolve through trial, error, reflection, learning, and hard-earned wisdom. But it also needs constraints. If it’s too long, it becomes something we never revisit or too detailed to be actionable.

 Think of it like a strategy. A strategy isn’t “do everything well.” It’s a hypothesis built on trade-offs: if I focus on these few things and intentionally choose not to focus on others, I hypothesize I’ll achieve my objectives. Your leadership playbook is the same. It’s your hypothesis for how you lead effectively.

 I recommend keeping it to three pages or less. Not because leadership is simple, but because it’s complex. And in that complexity, clarity and focus are what allow us to execute at a high level.

 Here’s an idea for a starting point: spend just 10–15 minutes each week building it. Over time, you’re not just collecting ideas, you’re distilling and refining something you can actually use as your north star.