10 Principles of Working Well

Principle 1: First Principles; Guiding Principles

Before you start working on a problem, ask yourself, “What is the root challenge I’m attempting to solve?” Sometimes we get so caught up in doing things the way we’ve always done them that we forget to check if we’re working on the appropriate problem. We frequently tackle several or superficial issues without ever getting to the source of the problem.

An excellent introduction to Elon Musk’s First Principle approach to problem-solving; practical guidance on how to apply this on a daily basis; and a very useful reference from HBR on how to solve the proper problem.

Principle 2: Proactively seek out knowledge on the project you’re working on.

You should know more than anyone else on the team about the best practices for enhancing your workstream. Read, inquire, consult, and share.

Principle 3: GyShiDo (read here to find out more about this Japanese word)

That’s all there is to it. No one in the team, including your manager, will monitor how you perform your work as long as you get it done on time – whether you do it with a strawberry daiquiri in your left hand, don’t read emails after 5 p.m., etc.

Principle 4: Only MVPs; no overdesign

Don’t let your enthusiasm go to waste. Scope down your first solution to a basic MVP (most valuable player) when dealing with a large project. To ensure the success of your project, outline and test your assumptions on a regular basis.

Principle 5: Permission vs. Forgiveness

It’s all about forgiving around here. If you’re pressed for time and need to make a team-wide decision, go ahead. We trust your judgment, so make your decision. Let us know what you decide, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Extend that grace to those who are in need of forgiveness as well.

Principle 6: Failure is an unavoidable aspect of our work, but repeating the same failure is not.

You shouldn’t have to learn the same lesson twice – reflect on your successes and mistakes and implement process improvements to increase the frequency of your successes while decreasing the frequency of your failures. Pre-plan your strategies to guarantee that you use what you’ve learned before you’re caught again.

Principle 7: Work smarter, not harder.

Ask yourself higher-level questions about how you’re achieving your goals on a regular basis. Prioritize. Work intelligently rather than harder.

Principle 8: Raise your hand as soon as you realize something is about to happen.

Bring up issues before they become catastrophes – we’re all prone to making mistakes. Simply raise your hand at the appropriate time.

Principle 9: Be mindful of the time of others.

Come to meetings prepared for battle; do the work necessary to make this meeting productive. Here’s a resource on meeting preparation strategies, as well as here’s a resource on what to do during the meeting.

Prepare for your meetings by thinking through the most likely questions you’ll be asked ahead of time, doing some thinking of your own to define some potential options and solutions, and articulating what’s difficult for you to decide on moving forward.

Always consider the bare minimum of persons who should be consulted and involved in the decision you’re making. Only those persons should be involved, and a decision should be made. We have faith in your judgment.

Principle 10: Manage what you’re working on upwards.

Your boss or coworkers should never have to wonder what happened to X or how far along we are with the X assignment.

To achieve this, you will need to take the following steps:

• Self-management: Make a list of what works best for you. Inquire about how others handle jobs that are challenging for you, such as managing emails or completing projects.
• Upward and sideways management: Be proactive in communicating your progress, bottlenecks, delays, and successes.

In a dashboard that you include in your sit-in slides, track progress on important deliverables using leading and lagging indicators.

• Leading indicators: As we work toward a project’s overall success, these measurements will let us know if we’re on the right track. For example, the number of students who completed mid-internship assessments as an early indicator of how many will likely complete final internship exams; or the number of students who attend self-sourcing workshops as an indicator of how many chances will be self-sourced in a cycle.

References

Alimo-Metcalfe, B. (2018). Five principles of high-performing teams. [online] Personnel Today. Available at: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/five-principles-of-high-performing-teams/  [Accessed 28 Aug. 2021].

Gwu.edu. (2019). Research Guides: Team Effectiveness: Principles of Effective Teamwork. [online] Available at: https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/teameffectiveness/principles  [Accessed 28 Aug. 2021].

Pascal Finette (2021). The Art of Getting Your Shit Done (A Productivity Manifesto). [online] GyShiDo. Available at: https://gyshido.com/  [Accessed 28 Aug. 2021].

Pexels.com. (2021). 100,000+ Best Working Photos · 100% Free Download · Pexels Stock Photos. [online] Available at: https://www.pexels.com/search/wrking/  [Accessed 28 Aug. 2021].