UPDATE: OKRs to DKRs

#4

NEW: Re-alignment Solitude

There are times when people lose motivation and will need help getting back on track. This will require a trend reversal.

Trend reversals do not occur under pressure. Irrespective of what the hero within/learned bravado may have us believe.

Reversals occur when:

1. Current trend loses its steam
2. Reverse trend picks ups strength

We will create a system to enable both.

Process

Realignment solitude will be a period of at-most 45 days with the following steps:

Seeing dissonance

When dissonance (opposite of resonance) is conveyed and not visible it creates less than binary commitment. Hence, it is important for the individual to be able to see the same picture, and all of the available neurons can be called to prep.

This can be done through a mindful conversation.
PS: This should not become a feedback session. For, the individual’s neurons are already loaded and do not need the weight of more opinion. Instead, the objective is to merely see the same picture. The to-dos are visible within.

Dissonance is easy to observe. It reflects in output. And on deeper observation, in your state of happiness.

An individual can observe his resonance by how easily others (specifically junior partners) are able to bet on them. An upward trend (not absolute value) in responsibility correlates to resonance.

Helpful questions to create progress once status is established: 3 Coaching Questions for Leaders to Ask When a Team Member Feels Discouraged

Solitude: Atmost 5 days

Step 1 is to let the downward trend lose steam by dissipating its energy. The system will do so by realigning the ask from the individual and putting them on a non-critical path.

At this point, failure is expected. Success would be a miracle.

This affords a space of self-observation. Use this space to observe your actions and discover the joy of creation again. Without the pressure of scrutiny of that creation.

Re-alignment: Atmost 20 days

This is when the bottom is in, and the uptrend starts. The individual sees a role for themselves and applies their energies to accomplish. Starting small and increasing the quantum with time. The goal is to discover the joy of success again.

The role may be one that already exists within the system, or maybe entirely new and unrelated to our current vector.

** Notes: **
The period is optional. If the individual does not find it in themselves the desire to try again, we understand. They may leave, no questions asked.
This should become benign in emotion and frequently used.

Thought process:

** Risk management: ** Team’s success is correlated to the individual’s output. It needs to be protected.
** Creating a possibility of Turn-around: ** It is #1 that enables #2 possible.

We commit to batting for the individual hence when dissonance occurs, we must enable whatever it would need for us to put all our energies behind getting the individual back to being productive.

It would be easier yet foolish to say bye. Foolish, for up till this point we would have already paid a price for the lost output. And saying bye would mean that we lose a potential upside from the learning from failure. This change is a method to assess if the latter occurred.

Hence, we will not create sensitivity to the risk by pre-empting it, and will instead choose our exposure to risk. Doing the latter helps us back the individual without worrying about doing a disservice to the rest of the team.

When does Realignment Solitude end

If the trend reversal occurs and re-alignment is achieved, between day 0 to day 45; the solitude ends.

An easy self-test to see it is to ask within, “Am I ready for higher responsibility?”

Whenever you feel fit, healthy and able again; it will be visible. Hence, a lucrative opportunity for a junior partner to expand his team (and output). If your assessment is true, you will be picked and assigned a higher responsibility, and back on the main chain.

If the trend reversal does not occur by day 45; cooling-off period kicks in.

The thought behind it is that if you are still unhappy, then perhaps we are no longer your ideal spot in the universe. We’ll help you find that spot. We’ll make intros where you need and keep your base pay intact to give you ample time to make the next call.

Why is solitude important.

When you are down, you will need all your energy and neurons to get back up. Any neurons that are busy worrying about the uncertainty of your place in the team will only increase the probability of failure. Probably making it certain.

This is space to create psychological safety.

Good read: High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here's How to Create It

The other lens:

When we are dissonant, we have already lost each other and are only waiting for the breaking point to make it official. Firing is merely a formality and removes the opportunity for growth. Hence, a leading indicator is needed even if its accuracy may be less than binary.

From the system point of view, we will assume that each individual that we take in is an A-player. Now, when dissonance exists, the system has failed. Not the individual.

I’d like to assume that I am wrong. The goal is to be less wrong over time.
-Elon Musk

This creates an opportunity for the system to improve.

NEW: Short-term hires + DRYed 'Starting at TVP'

Short-term hires

Junior partners can recruit short term hires, on project basis. They are not expected to subscribe to our system and are seen as hands on hire.

Why this change

Delivery processes usually have 2-3 weeks of time to complete recruitment. Recruitment is sacrosanct. It should not be subjected to such extreme time pressure, if the cost is quality.

Current view is that it is not possible to recruit long-term players on-demand and within that constraint. And get it right.

Removing the expectation of a long-term alignment and hence, not asking for a commitment outright increases the pool of applicants. And the probability of outcome.

It is harder to sell the pitch AND the system. New hires tend to prefer the idea of earlier albeit lower pay, rather than a higher reward later through success payout and equity.
It’s easier for new recruits to choose a longer-term alignment once they are inside the system.

Future view:

As we build visibility, our inbound pipeline of applicants should start to build. And short-term hires may not be needed.

Principles:

No compromise on quality. The recruitment parameters will not be relaxed.
Current process: Jarvis - Recruitment
Current threshold is: >5 on all A-player attributes
Ascend path and Payroll mapping stays the same. Current pay levels may serve as good references, but do not demand adherence.
There is no separate capital allocation made for these hires. And their costs come from success payout.

Other changes in this release:

• Simplified Applying section. Updated the process to reflect Jarvis - Recruiting
• Changed day 45 to be a day of self-assessment, instead of an intervention by us. Doing former right, makes the latter is redundant. And makes trust possible.
• Cleaned up Compensation principles to make it easier to understand. And also, removed the incorrect positioning of success pay as an 'incentive'. In reality, it should be seen as income; merely calculated differently.
• Joining contract has minor language tweaks with a super simplified section on taxes.
• A-player attributes: Added description for 'Learning to Problem Solve'. Earlier it only had examples.
• Added a new method for short-term hires.

DRYed up the principles

• Updated how-to-update-playbook process
• Stripped Integrity of all fluff. Only what is needed to come to same page with the vocab used here, is what remains.
• Moved Values section from hello world to a new page called 'value system'
• Renamed 'policies' into 'Limits of Engagement'. Cleaned it up and DRYed.

2.1 Init. Updated Content Map

v2.1

GitBook: [master] 29 pages modified

Playbook 2.0

v1

GitBook: [master] 2 pages modified