Move to the Edge, Declare it Center

Acknowledgments xi

About the Author xv

Preface xvii

July 7, 2016: Stand Up, Speak Up xvii

Introduction 1

Two Kinds of Problems: Complicated and Complex 4

Complicated Problems 4

Complex Problems 7

The Mismatch 9

Case Study: Introducing Salary Transparency 12

Defeating the Defaults: Making Decisions Under Uncertainty 15

Our Brains: Wired for Shortcuts 16

Our Bodies: Reacting to Stress 20

May 27, 2020: Still a Target, Still a Leader 22

Proposal: Adopt a New Mindset for Making Decisions 24

Part 1 What Is Move to the Edge, Declare It Center? 27

Chapter 1 A Framework to Make Decisions under Complexity and Uncertainty 29

What Is Move to the Edge? 32

What Is Declare It Center? 34

Chapter 2 Exterior Practices: The Methods of Move to the Edge 37

Forming Hypotheses 41

Hypothesis Testing 43

Iteration and Fast Feedback 45

Project Scoping 46

Who Is in the Room Where It Happens? Bringing in Diverse Voices 47

Example: Race and Artificial Intelligence 48

Case Study: How We Made Salaries Transparent 50

Case Study: Jane Jacobs: What Kind of Problem Is a City? 53

Case Study: World Central Kitchen 60

Case Study: Public Health Networks and the Early Days of COVID 63

Chapter 3 Exterior Practices: The Process of Declare It Center 67

Building a Remote-First Company Before the Pandemic 71

Retrospectives (Retros) 74

Exercise: Hold a Retrospective 76

Evolving Retros 81

Truss Values 83

Case Study: How We Made Salaries Transparent (Declare It Center) 87

Case Study: Healthcare.gov 88

What Did We Learn? Changing Mindsets Requires Changing Systems 96

Declare It Center in Modern Government 98

Case Study: Beyond the Scope: Responding to the California Wildfires 101

Declare It Center to Sustain Your Work 103

Case Study: World Central Kitchen 104

Chapter 4 Interior Practices: Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable 111

Practice: Meditate/Mindful Training 117

Practice: Learn from Your Body 119

Practice: Find Your Purpose 125

Exercise: The Purpose Playbook 127

Practice: Imagine Your Outcome 133

Exercise: Write a Letter to Yourself 134

Practice: Practice, Practice, Practice 137

Intermission: The New Normal Is Complex. Train for It 139

February 2012: Show Up, Speak Up:

Getting the Call 140

Finding Your Imaginal Cells 143

Ring, Ring, Ring 146

Part 2 Putting Move to the Edge, Declare It Center into Practice 149

Chapter 5 Where Do We Start? 151

Case Study: 2020: West Paw Recruiting for DEI 154

DEI, Recruiting, and Hiring at Truss 157

Chapter 6 Putting Practices into Action: Sustaining a Remote-First Company 173

Exterior Practices 176

Using Hypotheses to Create Company Culture 176

Deciding to Go Remote First 178

Staying Connected 179

Effective Communication 182

Using Decision Records (DRs) 189

Implementing Auxiliary Groups 190

Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Investing in Connection 191

Staying Healthy Is a Practice 194

Picking the Right Tools 198

Interior Practices 205

Exercise: Walking Meditation 205

Exercise: Learning from the Body 207

Exercise: Fear of Missing In 207

Appendix: Further Resources 209

Notes 211

Index 227