My Business Operating Principles

How do you effectively lead an organization? There's no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on various factors, including the organization's size and industry, your leadership style, the experience of your management team, and more.

Throughout my career, I've held various management roles (GM, CEO, CPO, VP, etc.) in organizations ranging from startups to those generating $100 billion in annual revenue. This experience has allowed me to develop a set of guiding principles that I not only operate by, but also share with my teams. They are:

1. Ready. Shoot. Aim

Thanks to Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, for this principle. This mindset was instrumental in the growth and success of Walmart, as it fostered a culture of experimentation, rapid response to market demands, and continuous improvement.

It means that you should prepare to take action and, instead of spending time in deliberation and planning (aim), take action (shoot) and iterate your way to the target.

2. Understand the Impact of Your Actions on Company Vision

Think about how your actions are advancing the company vision before you act.

3. Prioritize Data Over Narrative for Decision Making

Don't make decisions just because someone in a position of authority said something, or because somebody painted a wonderful picture of the future, or because you feel it. Let's say the decision is about which strategy to choose. Figure out when and where similar strategies have worked and how close you are to that situation.

When data is not available, create a hypothesis, write down assumptions, and start testing the hypothesis in the real world.

4. Innovate to Improve User Experience

This is a continuous process. Today's joyous user experience (UX) becomes tomorrow's expectation. You have to innovate to keep making the UX better. Otherwise, someone else will, and you will lose customers.

You want to gain and keep customers' trust.

5. Disagree and Own the Decision

Smart people tend to be opinionated and can debate well. Opinions and debates help in making good decisions. Once a decision has been made, even if it is the opposite of what you wanted, execute the decision as if it were your own.

Image credit Canva AI

6. Simplify Communication

Any organization has people with varied backgrounds in different jobs. Simplify communication so that everyone can understand you. No buzzwords, because they mean different things to different people.

Warren Buffett (see his annual letters) is an exemplar of simplified communication. 

7. Do What You Say

You will be surprised to learn how rare this is. If you don't do what you say, then you can't be reliable, and if you are not reliable, then you can't be trustworthy.

Sometimes things happen beyond your control. Give the organization advance warning about the delay or changes to the agreed-upon plan.

8. Prioritize Company Success Over Your Success

It might not be obvious, but long term, company success is your success.

9. Strengthen the Core

Don't start taking your competitive advantage (core) for granted. Continuously invest in strengthening the competitive advantage of the business. Understand the threats and risks to the core and overcome them.

The core has to get the customers’ mindshare. 

10. If You See Something Stupid, Say Something

It is surprising how many people don't react to bad products being released, wrong math in the spreadsheet, or other errors. By pointing out the errors, you are helping the organization.

11. Be Curious and Take Risks

Learn what everybody around you works on, what a day in the life of a customer is like, and how the competitors are being creative. Try something new to solve problems. Test new ideas.

As a leader, I cultivate an environment where these principles guide our team's actions.