Scaling People

The Operating System and Why You Need One

Create a clear operating system: Develop an explicit operating system for your organization that defines how work gets done
Prioritize operational excellence: Make operational excellence a strategic priority, not an afterthought
Define core principles: Establish clear principles that guide decision-making throughout the organization
Document your OS: Explicitly document how your company works to scale institutional knowledge
Start early: Begin building your operating system when the company is small to avoid painful transitions
Balance flexibility and structure: Create enough structure for efficiency without stifling innovation
Address culture intentionally: Recognize that culture forms whether or not you shape it deliberately
Connect OS to strategy: Ensure your operating system supports and enables your business strategy
Evolve systematically: Plan for evolution of your operating system as the company grows
Communicate expectations: Make expectations explicit to reduce confusion and friction

Defining Your Company’s Purpose and Strategy

Articulate clear purpose: Define why your company exists beyond making money
Connect purpose to strategy: Ensure your strategy directly supports your core purpose
Make strategy actionable: Translate high-level strategy into specific, actionable priorities
Limit strategic priorities: Focus on a small number of strategic priorities (3-5) to enable execution
Communicate strategy repeatedly: Share your strategy consistently and frequently across the organization
Test for understanding: Regularly check that people understand and can articulate the strategy
Update systematically: Create a regular cadence for reviewing and updating strategy
Involve key stakeholders: Engage key leaders in strategy development for better outcomes
Balance aspirational and practical: Make strategy both inspiring and practical enough to execute
Connect individual work to strategy: Help everyone understand how their work supports the strategy

Planning: From Strategy to Execution

Create annual planning rhythm: Establish a clear annual planning process with defined outputs
Balance top-down and bottom-up: Combine leadership direction with team input in planning
Define clear OKRs: Set specific, measurable objectives and key results that align with strategy
Limit objectives: Focus on a small number of objectives to prevent diluting effort
Cascade appropriately: Ensure department and team goals align with company objectives
Review progress regularly: Establish consistent rhythms for reviewing progress against goals
Adjust as needed: Be willing to adapt plans based on new information and changing conditions
Define roles clearly: Clarify who is responsible for what in the planning process
Document plans thoroughly: Create detailed documentation of plans and commitments
Connect resources to priorities: Align budget and headcount planning with strategic priorities

Operational Cadence and Meeting Hygiene

Establish effective meeting rhythms: Create a consistent meeting cadence that supports execution
Define meeting purpose: Ensure every recurring meeting has a clear, documented purpose
Create meeting agendas: Prepare and share agendas in advance of meetings
Assign meeting roles: Designate facilitators, note-takers, and timekeepers for effective meetings
Document decisions: Record and share key decisions, action items, and rationales
Review meeting effectiveness: Regularly evaluate and improve meeting practices
Balance synchronous and asynchronous: Determine what requires meetings versus what can be handled asynchronously
Respect time constraints: Start and end meetings on time and respect participants’ time
Prepare participants: Set clear expectations for pre-meeting preparation
Connect operational rhythm to strategy: Ensure your meeting cadence supports strategic priorities

Communications Systems

Design communications architecture: Create intentional systems for information flow in the organization
Define communication channels: Clarify which channels should be used for different types of communication
Document important decisions: Record and share key decisions and their rationales
Establish information access principles: Define what information should be broadly accessible
Create regular communication vehicles: Develop consistent formats for company updates
Balance transparency and focus: Share information widely while avoiding overwhelming people
Set response expectations: Establish norms around response times for different channels
Train communication skills: Invest in developing clear communication capabilities across the organization
Address cross-functional communication: Create specific mechanisms for information sharing across teams
Evolve communication as you scale: Regularly update communication systems as the organization grows

Working with Executives

Clarify executive roles: Define specific responsibilities and authority for each executive
Develop executive team norms: Establish how the executive team works together
Create decision-making frameworks: Be explicit about how decisions are made at the executive level
Balance functional and company perspectives: Help executives manage dual responsibilities to their function and the company
Set executive meeting cadence: Create an effective rhythm of executive team interaction
Build trust intentionally: Invest in relationships and trust among the executive team
Address conflicts directly: Deal with executive disagreements constructively and promptly
Establish executive communication norms: Define how executives communicate with each other and the organization
Align on company priorities: Ensure the executive team is unified on strategic priorities
Provide executive feedback: Create mechanisms for executives to give and receive honest feedback

Management and Performance Systems

Define management expectations: Make expectations of managers explicit and clear
Create management development paths: Build structured approaches to developing management capability
Implement regular performance reviews: Establish consistent performance evaluation processes
Separate performance and development: Distinguish between performance evaluation and development planning
Set compensation philosophy: Create clear principles for how compensation is determined
Train managers systematically: Invest in training managers at all levels
Address poor performance promptly: Create systems for identifying and addressing performance issues
Recognize and reward excellence: Develop mechanisms to recognize outstanding contributions
Build feedback culture: Make regular feedback a normal part of operations
Connect individual goals to company objectives: Ensure alignment between individual and organizational goals

Hiring, Interviewing, and Onboarding

Create a rigorous hiring process: Develop a structured approach to identifying and selecting talent
Define role requirements clearly: Articulate specific requirements and expectations for each role
Design effective interviews: Create interview processes that assess key capabilities for each role
Train interviewers thoroughly: Invest in developing interviewing capabilities across the organization
Reduce hiring bias: Implement specific practices to reduce bias in the hiring process
Onboard systematically: Create comprehensive onboarding processes for new employees
Set early expectations: Make performance and cultural expectations clear from day one
Build onboarding partnerships: Create buddy systems or mentorships for new employees
Check onboarding effectiveness: Follow up to ensure onboarding is working as intended
Evolve hiring practices: Regularly review and improve hiring and onboarding processes

Building and Shaping Culture

Articulate values explicitly: Define and document your company’s core values
Connect values to behaviors: Translate values into specific, observable behaviors
Reinforce culture through systems: Build cultural reinforcement into operational systems
Address culture violations: Deal directly with behaviors that contradict stated values
Recognize culture champions: Highlight and reward those who exemplify cultural values
Evolve culture intentionally: Plan for cultural evolution as the organization grows
Connect culture to performance: Make cultural fit part of performance evaluation
Train on cultural expectations: Ensure everyone understands cultural norms and values
Measure cultural health: Develop ways to assess how well your culture is functioning
Lead by example: Ensure leaders model the cultural behaviors you expect

Managing Organizational Change

Plan changes thoroughly: Create detailed plans for significant organizational changes
Communicate change effectively: Develop clear communication approaches for different changes
Anticipate reactions: Consider how changes will affect different groups and prepare accordingly
Involve key stakeholders: Engage important voices in planning and implementing changes
Create change sponsors: Identify and prepare leaders who will champion changes
Address resistance constructively: Deal with change resistance in a respectful, productive way
Monitor change implementation: Track how changes are being adopted and what issues arise
Adjust as needed: Be prepared to modify change plans based on feedback and results
Connect changes to strategy: Make clear how changes support organizational priorities
Capture lessons learned: Document what works and doesn’t work for future changes

Scaling Leadership Development

Develop leadership pipeline: Create systems for identifying and developing future leaders
Define leadership expectations: Articulate what good leadership looks like at different levels
Create development paths: Build clear paths for leadership growth and advancement
Provide leadership training: Invest in structured leadership development programs
Assign stretch opportunities: Create experiences that challenge and develop leaders
Give regular leadership feedback: Ensure leaders receive specific feedback on their leadership
Create leadership mentorship: Connect developing leaders with experienced mentors
Address leadership gaps: Identify and address areas where leadership capability is lacking
Balance hiring and development: Determine when to develop internal leaders versus hire externally
Measure leadership effectiveness: Develop ways to assess leadership impact and results

Organizational Design and Evolution

Design intentionally: Create organizational structures that support your strategy
Clarify decision rights: Define who can make which decisions in the organization
Balance specialization and integration: Find the right balance between functional excellence and cross-functional collaboration
Plan for growth stages: Anticipate how organization design will need to evolve as you scale
Address span of control: Determine appropriate management spans for different functions
Create matrix management systems: Develop effective approaches for managing matrix relationships
Define team charters: Ensure each team has a clear purpose and set of responsibilities
Manage organizational boundaries: Create mechanisms for collaboration across organizational boundaries
Review organizational effectiveness: Regularly assess how well your structure is working
Implement changes carefully: Make organizational changes with thoughtful planning and communication

Key Takeaways

Create an explicit operating system: Document how your company works to scale institutional knowledge and operational excellence
Connect purpose, strategy, and execution: Ensure clear linkage from why your company exists to what it’s focusing on to how work gets done
Establish effective planning rhythms: Create systematic processes for translating strategy into executable plans
Design intentional communication systems: Build structured approaches to information flow throughout the organization
Implement rigorous people systems: Develop comprehensive approaches to hiring, developing, and managing performance
Build culture deliberately: Define values, translate them to behaviors, and reinforce them through systems
Train and develop managers: Invest in building management and leadership capability at all levels
Create clear decision frameworks: Establish how decisions are made and who has decision rights
Design for organizational evolution: Anticipate how your operating system will need to change as you scale
Balance structure and flexibility: Create enough structure for efficiency without stifling innovation and adaptability