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Kindle Notes & Highlights
The steps to implementing the Y = f(x) framework are: Define which Y is being addressed in the meeting. Ideally one meeting must address only one Y and all participants must be aligned to that. Define all the Xs that impact that Y. Review the Y first in the meeting. Then review all the Xs ideally in the order of importance. Make plans to impact the Xs so as to improve the Y. Frequent errors that happen should be avoided: Conducting meetings where different participants are focused on different Ys. Participants don’t have a shared understanding of the Y = f(X). They don’t know all the drivers
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Many start-ups are in the technology and digital space and the founders tend to be ‘techies’. Not to stereotype, but I do think that the primary orientation of such people is inwards, towards the technology, the product and the applications. As a result, the getting better that is required from a consumer lens is often not given enough attention because the primary comfort zone of the founders is inwards, not outwards. Founders and key people need to be mindful of this and compensate for it using the following techniques: Spend focused time with consumers and applying the principles of review
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it is akin to the professional having arrived at an answer for a situation, an answer they feel comfortable with, and in the future, they keep applying the same answer for that kind of situation. It means that once they feel comfortable with an answer, they stop arriving at the answer using the primary principles. This is the beginning of stagnation of the get-better journey.
it might be too late for many of us to change how we were educated, if we understand why our GBM is the way it is, we can take corrective action.
Get-better summary Getting better is not just applicable to conventional companies; it is applicable even more to the start-up ecosystem. From a start-up company’s view, their basic journey is about getting better in solving their chosen problem. If they don’t get better rapidly, survival will be difficult. To get better: Founders and key personnel have to prioritize getting better and create the time and the space for that even in the frenetic environment of a start-up. Founders must move from an inwards mindset to an outwards mindset, which is more customer-oriented and not just
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‘That which is measured, improves.’ I truly believe that to improve anything, we have to keep measuring it. If we act without measurement, it is unlikely to be effective.
To improve your GBM, you have to go back to the three components and practise them continuously and deliberately: Get better by yourself Get better leveraging others Make others better
Self-awareness of where you stand now is the single greatest enabler of an effective get-better journey.
There are three enablers to disciplined implementation: Find a strong reason/purpose to implement the plan. Eliminate all excuses and barriers to implementation. Make a public commitment—make your plan public to be scrutinized by others.
Like education, where the benefits are not immediately visible, if you don’t find the discipline to educate yourself, your long-term success is compromised. Sometimes, there is no immediate benefit to getting better, but it is vital to long-term success. Every time you postpone implementing a get-better plan, remind yourself that that action is reducing your future success.
Success is not about how good you are, but about how good a model you have to improve how good you are. That model is your ability to identify the ‘get-better areas (the ‘what’), make a plan (the ‘how’) and then implement it. And when you succeed in getting better at that area, you repeat the cycle for the next set of identified areas in a continuous journey of self-improvement.
Get-better summary Wanting to get better doesn’t make you better; you have to have a get-better plan and implement it. The first step of making the plan is to identify the key areas, the ‘what’ to get better at. This is best done by practising review and reflection for a few weeks and seeing what consistent pattern that throws up. Those are the areas you need to get better at, and it is good to shortlist two areas at a time. The second step is to make a ‘how’ plan based on the key principles explained in this book. The plan must be specific and actionable. The final step is disciplined
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Success = Effort x Getting better
Here is the scale I recommend for the rating: Low: You thought you did well but you got some feedback from others that it was moderate or poor. Medium: You thought you did well and you got neither positive nor negative feedback spontaneously. High: You thought you did well and you got feedback spontaneously, without asking, that it was good. Very high: You thought you did poorly, and yet you got feedback from others that it was good.
when your motivation has a purpose, has a cause for creating impact beyond just making you successful, it is a lot more powerful to push yourself to get better.
Success is the answer; getting better is the method of finding the answer. Success is the destination; getting better is the journey to that destination. And the fantastic thing about getting better is that it not only makes you successful, it also has the wonderful side effect of making you a better human being.
My teachers at school and college for their selflessness in teaching me all that they knew without taking any credit themselves.
