Frank Slootman is regarded as one of the top CEOs in tech.
He is best known for his operating skills and has successfully taken three companies public as CEO, including ServiceNow and Snowflake.
Here are 3 operational frameworks that he has found to be the most effective...
1) Increase the velocity
One of the best things an organization can do to improve is to amp up its performance and intensity.
“The role of a leader is to change the status quo, step up the pace, and increase the intensity...
...Leaders are the energy bunnies and pacemakers of the organization.
Some people drain energy from organizations; not leaders, they engulf organizations with energy.”
Increasing the pace has compounding effects on the organization.
“Stepping up the pace doesn’t just cause people to do things faster. They start doing things differently.
They become more demanding of others. This is precisely what we want in an organization...
...ServiceNow had a relentless ‘get shit done’ culture and they were proud of it.
The culture enthusiastically embraced those who got things done, and it repelled those who did not.”
2) Increase the standards
Raising the standards for the organization internally is one of the most important things a company can do, and it starts at the top.
“When stepping up the pace, inevitably excuses are made about quality...
...We can’t possibly move this fast, and maintain quality?
We would agree, because we are going to move faster and raise quality. It has a compound effect on productivity.
It’s not defying gravity, it’s beating reams of slack out of the system...
...Until the pressure is on, we don’t even know how much better and faster we can be.”
Feel strongly about what you are building and make sure your employees feel the same way.
“Another way we would pursue this conversation was asking people whether they liked their work, or whether they loved it...
...So, let’s resolve to love what we produce, not just like it. Feel strongly, even passionate about what you are producing.
It changes things perceptibly. Moving mental boundaries, that is what this is.”
Good is the enemy of great.
“Mediocrity is the silent killer. Organizations are not getting killed by their C players. Everybody knows who they are, and performance eventually is addressed.
The people who kill organizations are your B players...
...It’s the scourge of the enterprise because there are many and they are generally accepted.
Often, they are seen as not bad enough to fire, but not good enough to keep. They are the ultimate passengers...
...B players need to be pared: they either become A players, or they become C players and get flushed out.
You can help by raising standards, by refusing mediocre outcomes.
Channel your inner Steve Jobs."
3) Narrow the focus
Narrowing the focus increases velocity.
“The fastest way to move a dial is to narrow the focus. People naturally resist focus because they can’t decide what is important...
...Therein lies a problem: people can typically tell you after some deliberation what their top three priorities are, but they struggle to decide on just one.
Many people and organizations are focused a mile wide and an inch deep...
...It can’t be a surprise when they progress at snails pace. Log jams get broken when you sift through the reams of activities and you create fewer and clearer objectives.
Do less, at a time.”
Focus comes down to ruthless prioritization.
“People say they want to focus, but their actions do not bear it out, quite the opposite. Focus is hard once you understand what that means.
What are you not going to do?”
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.