Rich Garza
@elrrich.bsky.social
Cutting through the noise, asking better questions, and exploring the ideas that shape how we think, work, and live.
When everything keeps shifting, your job is to bring clarity.
People don’t need perfect plans.
They need to understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how it affects them. Explain the shifts and connect it to purpose.
Communicate clearly. Listen actively.
Then help them move forward.
People don’t need perfect plans.
They need to understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how it affects them. Explain the shifts and connect it to purpose.
Communicate clearly. Listen actively.
Then help them move forward.
July 24, 2025 at 3:30 PM
When everything keeps shifting, your job is to bring clarity.
People don’t need perfect plans.
They need to understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how it affects them. Explain the shifts and connect it to purpose.
Communicate clearly. Listen actively.
Then help them move forward.
People don’t need perfect plans.
They need to understand what’s changing, why it matters, and how it affects them. Explain the shifts and connect it to purpose.
Communicate clearly. Listen actively.
Then help them move forward.
You lead through change with clarity and direction.
If they don’t get why it’s happening or how it affects them, they’ll resist.
Your job is to make it make sense: What’s changing? Why it matters? What it means for them?
Repeat it until it sticks.
That’s leadership through uncertainty.
If they don’t get why it’s happening or how it affects them, they’ll resist.
Your job is to make it make sense: What’s changing? Why it matters? What it means for them?
Repeat it until it sticks.
That’s leadership through uncertainty.
July 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
You lead through change with clarity and direction.
If they don’t get why it’s happening or how it affects them, they’ll resist.
Your job is to make it make sense: What’s changing? Why it matters? What it means for them?
Repeat it until it sticks.
That’s leadership through uncertainty.
If they don’t get why it’s happening or how it affects them, they’ll resist.
Your job is to make it make sense: What’s changing? Why it matters? What it means for them?
Repeat it until it sticks.
That’s leadership through uncertainty.
Your team’s stuck because no one’s solving problems.
They’re all covering their ass. Every doc, note, and update becomes proof it wasn’t their fault. And that’s bad leadership.
If blame moves faster than decision, people protect themselves.
If you want real progress, kill the fear first.
They’re all covering their ass. Every doc, note, and update becomes proof it wasn’t their fault. And that’s bad leadership.
If blame moves faster than decision, people protect themselves.
If you want real progress, kill the fear first.
July 22, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Your team’s stuck because no one’s solving problems.
They’re all covering their ass. Every doc, note, and update becomes proof it wasn’t their fault. And that’s bad leadership.
If blame moves faster than decision, people protect themselves.
If you want real progress, kill the fear first.
They’re all covering their ass. Every doc, note, and update becomes proof it wasn’t their fault. And that’s bad leadership.
If blame moves faster than decision, people protect themselves.
If you want real progress, kill the fear first.
To handle office politics without losing yourself: stay grounded in your values while learning how the system works.
Pay attention to who actually holds influence, how decisions get made, and where the real conversations happen.
Act with integrity, stay consistent. It’s not a game to win.
Pay attention to who actually holds influence, how decisions get made, and where the real conversations happen.
Act with integrity, stay consistent. It’s not a game to win.
July 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
To handle office politics without losing yourself: stay grounded in your values while learning how the system works.
Pay attention to who actually holds influence, how decisions get made, and where the real conversations happen.
Act with integrity, stay consistent. It’s not a game to win.
Pay attention to who actually holds influence, how decisions get made, and where the real conversations happen.
Act with integrity, stay consistent. It’s not a game to win.
Your work isn’t visible unless you make it.
But that doesn’t mean bragging.
It means being proactive, sharing progress when it matters, and showing outcomes.
Loop the right people. Build relationships with the ones who need to know.
Visibility isn’t luck. It’s built through communication.
But that doesn’t mean bragging.
It means being proactive, sharing progress when it matters, and showing outcomes.
Loop the right people. Build relationships with the ones who need to know.
Visibility isn’t luck. It’s built through communication.
July 22, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Your work isn’t visible unless you make it.
But that doesn’t mean bragging.
It means being proactive, sharing progress when it matters, and showing outcomes.
Loop the right people. Build relationships with the ones who need to know.
Visibility isn’t luck. It’s built through communication.
But that doesn’t mean bragging.
It means being proactive, sharing progress when it matters, and showing outcomes.
Loop the right people. Build relationships with the ones who need to know.
Visibility isn’t luck. It’s built through communication.
Your documentation isn't neutral. Every meeting note, every project recap... it's not insight. They're fingerprints.
When things go wrong, it becomes evidence.
Your team is defensive, because they know it.
And if don't, you'll get blindsided later.
Wake up. Your system is prosecuting your people.
When things go wrong, it becomes evidence.
Your team is defensive, because they know it.
And if don't, you'll get blindsided later.
Wake up. Your system is prosecuting your people.
July 21, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Your documentation isn't neutral. Every meeting note, every project recap... it's not insight. They're fingerprints.
When things go wrong, it becomes evidence.
Your team is defensive, because they know it.
And if don't, you'll get blindsided later.
Wake up. Your system is prosecuting your people.
When things go wrong, it becomes evidence.
Your team is defensive, because they know it.
And if don't, you'll get blindsided later.
Wake up. Your system is prosecuting your people.
Let’s just say it straight: most leadership training doesn’t help.
Real leadership develops through repetition under fire. Through making mistakes when they matter. Through getting feedback that stings because the outcome was real.
Read more on my newsletter: open.substack.com/pu...
Real leadership develops through repetition under fire. Through making mistakes when they matter. Through getting feedback that stings because the outcome was real.
Read more on my newsletter: open.substack.com/pu...
Your Leadership Training Is Completely Broken
Walk into any corporate leadership training and you'll see the same setup that failed you in seventh grade. Chairs, slides, and someone talking at you about theories you'll never use.
open.substack.com
July 20, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Let’s just say it straight: most leadership training doesn’t help.
Real leadership develops through repetition under fire. Through making mistakes when they matter. Through getting feedback that stings because the outcome was real.
Read more on my newsletter: open.substack.com/pu...
Real leadership develops through repetition under fire. Through making mistakes when they matter. Through getting feedback that stings because the outcome was real.
Read more on my newsletter: open.substack.com/pu...
Stop waiting for permission.
Just do the work that needs doing. Fix what’s broken. Share what’s missing. Make things clearer for other people.
You don’t need a title for that. You need initiative, clarity, and consistency.
That’s what people start to trust.
Just do the work that needs doing. Fix what’s broken. Share what’s missing. Make things clearer for other people.
You don’t need a title for that. You need initiative, clarity, and consistency.
That’s what people start to trust.
July 20, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Stop waiting for permission.
Just do the work that needs doing. Fix what’s broken. Share what’s missing. Make things clearer for other people.
You don’t need a title for that. You need initiative, clarity, and consistency.
That’s what people start to trust.
Just do the work that needs doing. Fix what’s broken. Share what’s missing. Make things clearer for other people.
You don’t need a title for that. You need initiative, clarity, and consistency.
That’s what people start to trust.
Leadership roles will affect your personal life. That’s the truth.
But it doesn’t have to wreck it.
It helps you set a standard. And that standard carries over into relationships, decisions, and life.
The job doesn’t just take from you.
It can shape you, if you let it.
But it doesn’t have to wreck it.
It helps you set a standard. And that standard carries over into relationships, decisions, and life.
The job doesn’t just take from you.
It can shape you, if you let it.
July 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Leadership roles will affect your personal life. That’s the truth.
But it doesn’t have to wreck it.
It helps you set a standard. And that standard carries over into relationships, decisions, and life.
The job doesn’t just take from you.
It can shape you, if you let it.
But it doesn’t have to wreck it.
It helps you set a standard. And that standard carries over into relationships, decisions, and life.
The job doesn’t just take from you.
It can shape you, if you let it.
When things get hard, you don’t need motivation.
What you need is grounding.
Stay close to people who’ll tell you the truth.
Ask for feedback. Have real conversations.
One opinion or one review do not define you.
Leadership is a long game, expect setbacks.
Use them. And keep going.
What you need is grounding.
Stay close to people who’ll tell you the truth.
Ask for feedback. Have real conversations.
One opinion or one review do not define you.
Leadership is a long game, expect setbacks.
Use them. And keep going.
July 19, 2025 at 2:55 AM
When things get hard, you don’t need motivation.
What you need is grounding.
Stay close to people who’ll tell you the truth.
Ask for feedback. Have real conversations.
One opinion or one review do not define you.
Leadership is a long game, expect setbacks.
Use them. And keep going.
What you need is grounding.
Stay close to people who’ll tell you the truth.
Ask for feedback. Have real conversations.
One opinion or one review do not define you.
Leadership is a long game, expect setbacks.
Use them. And keep going.
You got promoted.
So why are you still doubting yourself?
So why are you still doubting yourself?
July 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
You got promoted.
So why are you still doubting yourself?
So why are you still doubting yourself?
How do I get over the fear of failing publicly?
Short answer:
You don’t.
You get over yourself.
Short answer:
You don’t.
You get over yourself.
July 18, 2025 at 12:31 AM
How do I get over the fear of failing publicly?
Short answer:
You don’t.
You get over yourself.
Short answer:
You don’t.
You get over yourself.
You can tell when someone’s writing from a wound they’ve processed vs. one they’re still bleeding from. I try not to hide either. That tension is where the good stuff lives.
April 18, 2025 at 12:30 AM
You can tell when someone’s writing from a wound they’ve processed vs. one they’re still bleeding from. I try not to hide either. That tension is where the good stuff lives.
This isn’t about building a platform. It’s about building a path back to myself—and inviting others to walk alongside it.
April 17, 2025 at 12:30 AM
This isn’t about building a platform. It’s about building a path back to myself—and inviting others to walk alongside it.
Sometimes I write from clarity. Sometimes I write from confusion. But either way, I show up honest. That’s the only rule I follow.
April 15, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Sometimes I write from clarity. Sometimes I write from confusion. But either way, I show up honest. That’s the only rule I follow.
I’m not here to brand myself. I’m here to unmask myself. If you recognize something familiar in what I write, maybe it means you’re not alone either.
April 14, 2025 at 11:42 PM
I’m not here to brand myself. I’m here to unmask myself. If you recognize something familiar in what I write, maybe it means you’re not alone either.
I don’t want to go viral. I want to be a voice someone finds at the exact moment they need it. Quiet resonance > loud reach.
April 14, 2025 at 12:29 AM
I don’t want to go viral. I want to be a voice someone finds at the exact moment they need it. Quiet resonance > loud reach.
What if your next big act of resistance… was to enjoy something without turning it into content?
April 13, 2025 at 6:30 PM
What if your next big act of resistance… was to enjoy something without turning it into content?
My favorite kind of writing doesn’t just tell me something new—it gives me language for something I’ve already felt but couldn’t explain. That’s what I’m aiming for.
April 12, 2025 at 10:35 PM
My favorite kind of writing doesn’t just tell me something new—it gives me language for something I’ve already felt but couldn’t explain. That’s what I’m aiming for.
If freedom only exists at the end of a funnel, maybe it's not freedom at all.
April 12, 2025 at 7:29 PM
If freedom only exists at the end of a funnel, maybe it's not freedom at all.
I used to think overthinking was a flaw. Now I treat it like a signal. The world wants us to numb out. Thinking deeply is rebellion.
April 12, 2025 at 12:59 AM
I used to think overthinking was a flaw. Now I treat it like a signal. The world wants us to numb out. Thinking deeply is rebellion.
Some hobbies are for joy, not ROI. Let them be unscalable. Let them be enough.
April 11, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Some hobbies are for joy, not ROI. Let them be unscalable. Let them be enough.
The most radical thing I’ve done this year?
Picked up a hobby and never posted about it. It didn’t grow my brand. It just made me feel human again.
Picked up a hobby and never posted about it. It didn’t grow my brand. It just made me feel human again.
April 11, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The most radical thing I’ve done this year?
Picked up a hobby and never posted about it. It didn’t grow my brand. It just made me feel human again.
Picked up a hobby and never posted about it. It didn’t grow my brand. It just made me feel human again.
I didn’t “build a brand.” I turned joy into labor.
The creator economy is sold as freedom. But when every hobby becomes a hustle, it’s just the rat race in prettier clothes.
The creator economy is sold as freedom. But when every hobby becomes a hustle, it’s just the rat race in prettier clothes.
April 11, 2025 at 12:30 AM
I didn’t “build a brand.” I turned joy into labor.
The creator economy is sold as freedom. But when every hobby becomes a hustle, it’s just the rat race in prettier clothes.
The creator economy is sold as freedom. But when every hobby becomes a hustle, it’s just the rat race in prettier clothes.
We were told to “be authentic.” What they meant was: “be always on.”
April 10, 2025 at 10:31 PM
We were told to “be authentic.” What they meant was: “be always on.”