Our Principles

We embrace reality and deal with it.

We aim to be radically open-minded.

We seek to recognize our two barriers. We actively try to uncover our own blind spots. We regularly practice radical open-mindedness. We sincerely believe that we probably do not know the best possible path and recognize that our ability to deal well with “not knowing” is more important than whatever it is we do know. We recognize that to gain the perspective that comes from seeing things through another’s eyes, we must suspend judgment for a time—only by empathizing can we properly evaluate another point of view. We remember that we’re looking for the best answer, not simply the best answer that we can come up with ourselves. We do everything in our power to help others also be open-minded. We meditate. We try to recognize the signs of closed-mindedness and open-mindedness in ourselves and in others. We try to understand how we can become more open-minded.

Appreciate the art of thoughtful disagreement. Tough love is effective for achieving both great work and great relationships.

We triangulate our view with believable people who are willing to disagree. We plan for the worst-case scenario to make it as good as possible. We regularly use pain as our guide toward quality reflection. If a number of different believable people say we are doing something wrong and we are the only ones who don’t see it that way, we assume that we are probably biased. We try to be evidence-based and encourage others to be the same. We use evidence-based decision-making tools when making decisions or making an argument. We aim to know when it’s best to stop fighting and have faith in our decision-making process

Constant evolution and change.

We know that, when making decisions, individuals’ incentives must be aligned with the group’s goals. Reality is optimizing for the whole—not for us. Adaptation through rapid trial and error is invaluable. What we will be in the future will depend on the perspective we have in the present.

We take complete responsibility for the outcomes of our behavior: extreme ownership.

We weigh second- and third-order consequences.

We understand that people are wired very differently.

We play iterated games. All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.

We work with people who have high intelligence, energy, and, above all, integrity.

We do the work.