Amp It Up — Summary and Checklists

Definitely one of the strongest books about leadership.

1. Raise Your Standard

Instead of telling people what I think of a proposal, ask them instead what they think:

• Ask “Are you thrilled with it? Do you absolutely love it?” Most of the time I would hear, “It’s okay,” or “It’s not bad.” Come back when you are bursting with excitement about whatever you are proposing.

Be thrilled with what you’re doing. Channel inner Steve Jobs. Aim for insanely great!

Mission Checklist

• Big and ambitious
• Crystal clear — The more defined and intense the mission, the easier it will be for everyone to focus on it.
• Not about money, instead with true purpose
• Continually narrowing the mission aperture is key because companies have a natural tendency to lose focus over time.
• If you turn your time and attention to the latest shiny object, you are on the path to trouble. Distractions will inevitably pop up every day and need to be fought relentlessly.

Declare War on Your Competitors

Business is war, competition is fierce, winning is very hard. Explain the industry landscape so that employees feel the cold wind of competition. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

The War Against Incrementalism

Incrementalism = lack of audacity and boldness = killing yourself gradually through stagnation.

• Think about the future state you want to reach (Product Vision and KPIs) then work backward to the present.
• Double 2x, 10x in certain time.

Put Execution Ahead of Strategy

“No strategy is better than its execution.”

• Groupthink and confirmation bias are common and incredibly dangerous. It is the role of leadership to maintain a culture of brutal honesty.

2. Align Your People and Culture

Hire Drivers, Not Passengers

• Sort out the valuable people from the deadweight.
• Act quickly to get the wrong people off the bus.
• Create a vetted, prioritized list of possible candidates for each critical role.
• Do not rely on acute sourcing tactics such as recruiters and LinkedIn alone.
• Staff ahead of need. Recruiting never stops.
• Get good at both hiring and firing.

Build a Strong Culture (R-E-C-I-P-E)

• R = Respect
• E = Excellence
• C = Customer
• I = Integrity
• P = Performance
• E = Execution

Culture Check Questions

• When you talk to frontline employees, do they seem energized, or does it feel like everyone is swimming in glue?
• Do people have clarity of purpose and a sense of mission and ownership?
• Do they share the same big dreams of where the organization might be in a few years?
• Do they consistently pursue high standards?
• Do most people execute with urgency and pep in their step?

3. Sharpen Your Focus

Put Analysis Before Solutions

• Start with first principles. Break problems down into their most basic elements.
• In meetings, object to presentations where 90% of the content is about the solution, not the problem.

Align Incentives for Customer Success

Customer success is the business of the entire company, not merely one department. Customer grievances are best solved by establishing proper ownership, reducing internal complexity, and removing bureaucratic intermediaries.

4. Pick Up the Pace

Grow Fast or Die Slow

• For a business to break out and reach escape velocity, it needs a ton of differentiation.
• Goals are powerful: they change behavior.
• When in doubt, lean in and try to grow faster.
• Your leverage comes from having a strong product and a formidable ability to sell it.
• If possible, always own your distribution rather than delegate it to a third party.

5. Transform Your Strategy

Materialize Your Opportunities

• Attack weakness, not strength.
• Either create a cost advantage or neutralize someone else’s.
• It’s much easier to attack an existing market than create a new one.
• Build the whole product or solve the whole problem as fast as you can.
• Architecture is everything.

Leadership Checklist

• Energetic, engaging personality goes a long way.
• Style as conversational mode — just chatting and telling stories, rather than reading text bullets verbatim from a PowerPoint slide.
• Make sure you never fear a reference check.
• Your mission is to win, not to achieve popularity. When you win, paradoxically, you will gain popularity.
• Preparation is your key advantage.