⫹⫺ Tempo
Hello my friends,
I’ve concluded that the secret to building anything comes down to tempo.
Tempo is the heartbeat of the team, or rhythm of the project.
It’s commonly accepted that fast is best.
Move fast in the wrong direction however, and you may quickly find yourself far away from your intended destination.
Tempo doesn’t mean slow.
The tempo run is one of the most intense sessions on a marathon runner’s training plan.
It’s the outcome of incremental gains building on each other; creating inertia that is almost impossible to stop.
— Andy
In this week’s email:
Product - Respect the history, obsess over the craft.
People - The art and science of an innovative culture.
Process - How noise affects productivity.
Out of Office - Provenance, consensus and success.
*Product
Matchwinner Chesterfield FC Classics
“The materials used to re-create the Chesterfield FC classics are the exact same as those used back when the originals were produced! Jacquard fabric forms the majority of the shirt with the original flock sponsor logo situated in the middle.”
— via @matchwinnerUK on Twitter
Matchwinner is branching out from their team wear business to produce authentic replicas of iconic football jerseys.
Using the tradition manufacturing techniques not only creates authenticity it provides an opportunity for storytelling.
To go one step further, create videos of the process, interview the operators and speak to the fans who may even remember the original.
*People
Spotify Culture of Autonomy and Alignment
“Rules are a good start, but break them when needed.”
— George Box
As a company gets larger it inevitably gets slower no matter how hard it tries to keep it’s “startup principles”.
Rules are a good place to start but don’t be afraid to break them. Teams must iterate and keep only the essential guardrails that improve the work.
Give everyone the autonomy to solve problems but maintain strict accountability for results.
*Process
Noise Destroys Productivity
“I estimate that increasing the noise level from that of a dishwasher to that of a vacuum cleaner (an increase of 10 dB) reduced output by approximately 5%.”
Elevated noise has a negative effect on the ability to direct one’s attention, switch between tasks and manipulate information in the memory.
Individuals do not seem to be aware of the cognitive disadvantage as not one of them paid to use a quiet environment to work during the protocol.
In the modern world, noise has become a race to the bottom. Louder car horns exists to drown out louder car horns. Government policy should regulate sources of noise that impede productivity.
*Out of Office
JB doing what he does best.
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