by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
The Izzy Way Book Review
Zero to One is a book recommended by my leader that highlights the concept of finding ways to drive 10x improvement; even if it seems minor to you, it could be huge for someone else. In my team, we lead a lot of different capabilities and services, and one that can be seen as small but is quite significant is process optimization. Only some people can see a current process and find the tweaks to free up time and resources for other critical services or support. Now, tie this idea with the concepts in “Who NOT How”, and you can see the benefits of making radical improvements to existing solutions by tapping into those who have the capabilities.
Another area that piqued my interest is the concept of network effects when you start small, test the waters (solution), and prove a proof of concept that can scale. I have executed this concept most of my career but used to call it a “test.” Now, I think of it as an MVP (minimal viable product) or POC (proof of concept). My leadership toolbox, because of this book, pushes me to mentor and coach others to not go for perfection and challenge them to focus on the few areas that they can drive 10x improvement. Not only will they get satisfaction on a significant improvement with minimal effort (they know the how) due to an expert capability, they will also gain valuable insights into what does not require perfection or near-perfect results to go forward.
A third section of the book that resonates with me is how you brand yourself – are you a 10x improver or someone who takes too long to deliver, gets into a rhythm of analysis paralysis, and goes for perfection before you seek feedback? As a leader, you do not always have the luxury of time, and this book demonstrates why it’s essential to consider your personal and team brand.
Some key takeaway questions from the book from a personal leadership perspective are:
- What advantage are you gaining by improving or aiming for perfection?
- When does it make sense to develop something new, and can you win/persuade those old-school thoughts/leaders?
- Know that you can be highly ambitious and have a long-term vision. How can you start small?
- Know where you want to end up (life goal or bold plan). What incremental changes or iterations will get you from Zero to One?
- What path can you set to create opportunities to move from Zero to One? Learn, fail, iterate, fail, and learn through experiences.
- Become obsessed with the company vision, mission, and goals. What areas or opportunities can you focus efforts or resources on for 10x improvement?
While I have plenty more insights from the book, hopefully, this has piqued your interest to add it to your future reading list.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts if you choose to read or listen to this book.
Check out my other book recommendations.
theizzyway.ca 