One For All, One from Many
The old monkey mind is back at work.
After spending the past couple of months on First Proof and MAP, I am now in the ideating phase. I finally have some time to read and think.
I’ve been deeply inspired by Dee Hock’s book One from Many. It reminds me of One For All from My Hero Academia. Maybe that’s what’s attracted me to it.
Dee talks about the importance of organizational principles where rationality comes out ahead. Unlike a strict command-and-control style of management, he opts for an amorphous organization where each individual is given the leeway to make the best decision as he sees fit, even if it seems irrational from the outside. As long as the incentive is aligned at key crossroads (individual vs. team vs. corporation), the right decisions will be made.
Recruiting is an interesting exercise. As we built out our team, my favorite question to ask candidates was “What are you hoping to get out of this, and what can you contribute to our effort?” Even if the answer isn’t clear immediately, it tends to come out during the course of the conversation. Credibility, experience, and the mission tend to pop up, but in reverse. I ask this blunt question because I want to ensure that what we do aligns with what they want. It hurts everyone to try and force a square peg into a circle.
The role as an independent researcher has been interesting for me too, as I’m stretching myself in different directions. Perhaps I myself was a square peg at my last firm. I feel much happier doing what I’m doing now.
One quote that stuck with me from the book was on managing oneself.
“The first and paramount responsibility of anyone who purports to manage is to manage self—one’s own integrity, character, ethics, knowledge, wisdom, temperament, words, and acts. It is a never-ending, difficult, oft-shunned task.”
As I gauge my next project, I see alignment as the biggest goal. Alignment between the project and myself is the first priority. Without this, the project itself starts off on the wrong foot, like a compass that can’t accurately point north. How do I embody the One For All idea in the context of my role within the organization, as I dedicate myself (One) to the goal of the collective group (All)? From there, how can I make an organization into one where every individual, with their own ambitions and goals (Many), becomes aligned to work towards a singular goal (One)?
The old monkey mind continues on.