Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1335IR // #c1335Synthesis

"He opened with a question: “Are you here to do something, or to be something?”" "If they wanted to do something, to legislate and shape outcomes, Dan said they would need to build relationships across party lines, keep their word, and resist the urge to speak out on every cultural flashpoint."

— In our words · Source: Courage Can Save Us (Rye Barcott)

[Use when]

You're starting a new role and deciding what kind of reputation to build.

[Why it matters]

Dan Crenshaw asked newly elected members of Congress this at Harvard. Being something rewards attention and outrage. Doing something requires the quieter discipline of relationships and kept promises.

Filed under situations:When the team is looking to you to leadWhen you need a yes and they’re not there yet

More from Courage Can Save Us

#c1321"“Can you live with yourself if you pass on it?” he’ll ask. “Or will you always look back and say, ‘What if?’"You're weighing a long-shot venture and the analysis says no. #c1322"But Todd had made a point of building relationships across the aisle, what he calls “a reservoir of trust and goodwill.”" "“We also…You'll eventually need a deal with a rival and have no reason yet to talk to them. #c1323"“Obviously I work for the president and he’s in the opposing party, but I never felt that made a difference. We always just talked about…You're negotiating with someone from a camp your side distrusts.

Same situation, different book

#c1317How many more beakers for five dollars?You need a team to care about costs that seem far removed from the real work.From Digital Impact #c1275Lead from a circle, not a mountainYou're trying to win people over by announcing things at them.From The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy #c1269Constituents need to know whyYou're closing a deal at the top that the wider team will have to carry out.From The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy #c1250Move people one rung at a timeYou want deep commitment from someone who has barely engaged yet.From This Is the Plan