10X Culture

be able to change plans without sacrificing alignment.

Plan for alignment, not commitment.

We remain adaptable, but are less tempted to rethink strategy and decisions on a whim. We agree on the criteria, as a team, for when we should change our plans. We do this using these three questions: Do we have new information that we didn’t have when we made the decision? Would changing course likely have an impact on our desired outcomes? How does the original rationale we used hold up against today’s information?

startups and younger businesses are able to outcompete incumbents. The number one reason given is almost always speed, but that’s a misnomer. The real answer is tempo.

Here’s one way to optimize tempo: Begin by identifying a project, process, or experiment that is being carried out by your team. Draw a quick timeline, estimating the time requirement of each step. Now categorize each step: Is the time frame under your control? Is the time frame impacted by external factors? Is there a cost associated with reducing the time allocated? If you answered yes, no, and no, that indicates you have an opportunity to release the trigger faster between shots and increase your tempo.

You must be networked because technology has created a crisis of data fragmentation and people fragmentation — a situation you can turn to your advantage by choosing tools that talk to each other and by optimizing for high-bandwidth communication.

decision-making relies heavily on relationships and cultural norms on your team, and whether you’re emotionally and intellectually connected.

our inability to make sense of our changing reality is our biggest hindrance. When circumstances change, we often fail to shift our perspective because it is in our nature to try to see the world as we feel it should be.

Challenge your mental models. Take apart old paradigms and put the pieces back together to create a new perspective that is more attuned to your current reality.

idea meritocracy, where the best ideas always win — no matter who they come from.

consensus on a bunch of great ideas can often result in one lackluster one. Sometimes it’s better to commit to a single decision that has a real point of view and logic behind it than to water things down.