My Biggest Fear

Before you read this, spend 15mins watching this video. I have watched this video about 50 times, its maybe around product building. But this metaphor also applies to this situation.

Steve Jobs’ rock tumbler metaphor is a powerful and vivid analogy he used to describe the value of collaboration, constructive conflict, and teamwork—particularly in creative and engineering teams.

Jobs described a memory from his youth when a neighbor showed him a rock tumbler. It was a simple can with a motor, some grit, and a few ordinary, rough rocks. When they put the rocks and grit in the can and let it tumble overnight, they came back the next day to find the rocks had become polished and beautiful.

“The rocks went in the can all rough and ugly. And they came out polished. It’s the same with people.”

• Rough edges = individual weaknesses or blind spots.

• The can and grit = the work environment and feedback process.

• Tumbling = the friction of collaboration—arguments, debates, iteration.

• Polished stones = people who have grown through constructive feedback and conflict.

Jobs believed that great products and great teams come from open, honest, and often tough collaboration. By “bumping up” against each other—through critiques, different viewpoints, and iterations—teams refine both their ideas and themselves, just like rocks in a tumbler.

My biggest fear is that you tell me "yes" when you really mean "no."

This type of behavior kills trust, stalls our progress, and can ultimately destroy the company we're building here.

Whenever we face disagreements (and we always will), there are only two healthy ways forward:

1. Disagree and Commit — You openly disagree, we discuss, and even if you're not fully convinced, you commit completely once a decision is made.

2. Disagree and Align — You openly disagree and make it clear you're not ready to commit. That's perfectly fine—we’ll keep talking until we find a middle ground or a better solution everyone can commit to fully.

What can NEVER happen is agreeing in the meeting, pretending you're aligned, and then quietly not following through because you secretly disagree. This is toxic, unacceptable, and it's exactly the kind of behavior that ruins companies.

This is what keeps up at night.

Here’s what I expect from everyone at Sidetool:

• Honest, direct communication.

• High agency and accountability—if something feels wrong or stupid, say it clearly and immediately.

• Offer solutions, not just complaints.

Juanma has many important roles at the company. But Juanma’s most important role is telling when I am saying or doing something stupid. He is very good at doing this 😂!

This openness and honesty must apply to all of us, not just me.

If you ever feel uncomfortable voicing disagreement, talk to me immediately. This culture is non-negotiable.

We lead by example, we speak our truth, we commit fully.

Let’s create some polished rocks 🙌