1️⃣ Step up early, then get out of the way MIT Sloan’s Step Up, Step Back model puts leaders deep in the opening of a change: set the case, priorities and boundaries, then retreat enough for teams to own delivery.
💡 Why it matters Define what cannot drift before execution starts. During delivery, review outcomes and obstacles without taking the work back.
☕ Coffee talk Can the sponsor leave the room without the transformation waiting for another instruction?
2️⃣ Quiet is a team performance tool A survey of more than 6,000 knowledge workers found only one of 20-plus office amenities consistently marked exceptional teams: quiet space. Members were 52% more likely to have it.
💡 Why it matters Protect 60-minute focus blocks, cut status interruptions and let people match the workspace to the task.
☕ Coffee talk Could anyone use a 60-minute focus block here without defending it from meetings and messages?
3️⃣ Hire people who can see the whole workflow Netflix CPTO Elizabeth Stone now prioritizes systems thinking over narrow specialization: seeing how work connects, while judging where AI helps and where it adds noise.
💡 Why it matters Interview for downstream judgment. Ask candidates to trace how one local improvement changes customers, controls and other teams.
☕ Coffee talk Can your best specialist explain what breaks downstream when AI speeds up one part of the workflow?