Then Build the System
The purpose of a good system is not to replace judgment. It is to stop wasting it. Once we understood where the magic lived, the next question became fairly simple. What could we standardize without damaging the work? The answer turned out to be quite a lot. That did not mean the team immediately agreed […]
Do It the Hard Way First
Sometimes the work that looks inefficient is actually where the value is being discovered. “You can’t standardize this.” That was the immediate reaction. There were too many variables. Every client was different. Every website was different. The work was creative. It was art. This was probably about ten years ago. I was sitting with a […]
Autonomy Builds Stronger Leaders and a Stronger Organization
One of the hardest transitions a leader ever has to make is realizing that your job is no longer to do the work. It’s to create an environment where other people can. This is surprisingly difficult in practice. If I’m being honest, it’s still something I struggle with because I genuinely enjoy doing the work. […]