Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

by Tony Fadell

But pushing for greatness doesn’t make you an asshole. Not tolerating mediocrity doesn’t make you an asshole. Challenging assumptions doesn’t make you an asshole. Before dismissing someone as “just an asshole,” you need to understand their motivations. There’s a world of difference between being emphatic and passionate to benefit the customer versus bullying someone to appease your own ego. It’s not always an obvious difference to the person on the other end. It’s hard to walk into a hurricane and think, Ah, this is a passionate hurricane. I just need to let it blow for a little while and then present some helpful data. But some hurricanes can be reasoned with. Some cannot. So here’s how to deal with people like me, how to talk down a hurricane: ask why. It’s the responsibility of a passionate person—especially a leader—to describe their decision and make sure you can see it through their eyes. If they can tell you why they’re so passionate about something, then you can piece together their thought process and either jump on board or point out potential issues.