Dr. No — Issue # 37 - Are you stuck doing B+ work?

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do... and be absurdly good at it." – Sort of Steve Jobs, definitely Matt Mochary

Rosa and I love asking annoying questions. Especially the ones that make you squirm a little because they hit too close to home.

So here’s this week’s:

1. Provocative Question

Are you leading from your Zone of Genius—or just being extremely competent at stuff you secretly hate?

Being a great GC doesn't mean doing everything well. It means knowing the one thing only you can do for the business—and doing that obsessively.

2. Book Insight: The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary

Mochary is a coach to Silicon Valley’s elite, and he says it straight:
Find your Zone of Genius. Live there. Delegate the rest.

Most GCs live in the Zone of Competence—things we can do well, but shouldn't be doing.
Result? Burnout. Friction. Mediocrity.

The great ones, though? They isolate the 5% of their work that’s transformational—and they double down. That’s where you create actual value.

3. Mental Model: Comparative Advantage

Stolen straight from the economy textbooks. It means:
Do what you’re best at—even if others can do it too—if you're better at it relative to everything else you do.

You might be able to review NDAs or build a risk matrix...
But if your comparative advantage is influencing the CEO, driving strategic decisions, and bringing sharp insight into ambiguous problems—do that.

Hire or delegate the rest. (You know who can help with that? Starts with an A and ends in mbar.)

4. AI Tool of the Week: AI Champ

Think you're working on high-leverage tasks? Prove it.

AI Champ tracks and analyzes how your team spends time.
You’ll either feel proud… or very uncomfortable.
Either way, you’ll finally know whether your time is going into genius work—or admin sinkholes.

(And yes, it integrates with Slack, Notion, email, etc.)

💭 Quote to Reflect

"Genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind."
— F. Scott Fitzgerald

Translation: You’re not paid for your time. You’re paid for your clarity and conviction.

That’s it for this week.

Next time someone tells you “you’re good at everything,”
don’t smile—be worried.

Because the most powerful leaders are great at one thing—and ruthless at saying no to the rest.

As always, if you want to talk or brainstorm your Zone of Genius (or find someone to take over your Zone of Misery), just hit reply.

Best,

Rosa & Manuel