Avoid being a -1

October 10, 2025

Lessons from astronauts

Some months ago a re-watched an interview of Chris Hadfield discussing how astronaut see themself as a -1, 0 or a +1, referring to whether they detract, add or are a relatively neutral contributor to the mission. From that moment this stucked with me, and it’s something I often reflect on especially when it’s time to give feedback.

Applying this to our own worlds, I think all of us can readily come up with a -1 in our lives or at work. It’s interesting because how others view us it’s mostly out of our control. Margaret Thatcher said once about being powerful: if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.

So I say, if you have to say people you’re a +1; you aren’t.

But if you start observing around you can catch beautiful common insights between 0s to +1. Or you can reverse engineer and reflect on what -1 does and avoid those things. Charlie Munger when asked about mental tools to facilitate rational thinking said: invert, always invert.

So what are some traits of -1s?

They wait to be told what to do.They don’t ask questions.They avoid responsibility.They watch others struggle.They’re unreliable.They avoid uncomfortable situations.They prioritize short-term over long-term.

If you viewed this incomplete list as an anti-checklist you’d be heading towards becoming a +1.

You show initiative.You ask questions.You take responsibility.You help others succeed.You’re reliable.You take risks.

For me, these are some of the principles that differentiate +1 from -1.

Don’t be a -1.