Episode #70 - Leverage: Designing Systems So Invisible Work Doesn’t Eat Your Week

In this episode, we break down how leaders can reclaim their week from the invisible drag of coordination and decision churn by building leverage into their systems. From Amazon’s narrative memos that sharpen debate, to Bain’s RAPID framework that cuts decision ping-pong, to research on meeting-free days that protect deep work, you’ll learn three evidence-backed moves to scale your leadership without drowning in the hidden load.

References:

1) Why do management practices differ across firms and countries? https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.24.1.203

2) How CEOs Manage Time: https://hbr.org/2018/07/how-ceos-manage-time

3) Who Has the D? How Clear Decision Roles Enhance Organizational Performance: https://hbr.org/2006/01/who-has-the-d-how-clear-decision-roles-enhance-organizational-performance

4) RAPID® Decision Making: https://www.bain.com/insights/rapid-decision-making/

5) Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems: https://research.google/pubs/site-reliability-engineering-how-google-runs-production-systems

6) Stop the Meeting Madness: https://hbr.org/2017/07/stop-the-meeting-madness

7) The effects of meeting-free days on autonomy, communication, and performance: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-surprising-impact-of-meeting-free-days

Music Credit: Switch It Up, performed by Silent Partner, from the YouTube Studio Audio Library.