Zuckerberg's Straight Talk

Zuckerberg, like other universe denters, has a bit of a reputation for being blunt. In some (many?) cases this trait has us calling these leaders "assholes," but regardless of how the public paints them, it's interesting that straight talk appears to crop up with Zuckerberg, Ellison, Bezos, and so on.In The Facebook Effect, Kirkpatric describes the dorm environment where Facebook was born as messy and cramped:

A habit of straight talk became the norm in this suite. There weren't a lot of secrets here. The four got along in part because they knew where each stood. Rather than getting on one another's nerves, they got into one another's projects.

Straight talk can be enormously helpful in the process of making management decisions and in making sure the organization doesn't work against itself. It can be a great tool for getting the best work from the people working for you. And it's very hard. But clearly it's something that Zuckerberg, and those before him, have mastered.