Merriam Webster defines a “maxim” as “a well-known phrase that expresses a general truth about life or a rule about behavior.” Minims are different.

Minims aren’t well known. They don’t express a general rule about life. They’re not big important truths, just little things that will help you do a better job as a boss. Each minim is a one or two sentence distillation of a tip in my forthcoming ebook, Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time. Here are a dozen.

The best way to “empower” competent and willing team members is to get out of their way.

Power isn’t something you bestow. It’s something you unleash.

Mistakes are the price you pay for better performance in the future.

Most performance issues are not self-healing. If you leave them alone, they will usually go from bad to worse.

Sugar-coating legitimate criticism robs it of nutritional value.

Creativity lives in those cracks in your schedule.

The example you set determines the behavior you get.

When you’re silent, you can listen and when you listen you can learn.

Distrust the abstract.

Most of your team members, most of the time, only need suggestions and informal direction.

If you mess up, fess up and fix it.

Great ideas are everywhere and the best way to find out if they work is to try them out.