Key Takeaways
1. Trust is the Foundation for Speed
Speed unleashes your organization’s energy and reveals where you’re going. Trust convinces your stakeholders to come along for the ride.
Speed and trust interplay. This book challenges the conventional wisdom that speed and care for people are mutually exclusive. Instead, it posits that the most effective leaders accelerate change while simultaneously building and maintaining trust with their stakeholders. Speed without trust can lead to reckless disruption, while trust without speed can result in stagnation.
Building trust is key. Trust acts as the cultural architecture upon which accelerated pace is built. When stakeholders trust the leadership and the organization's intentions, they are more willing to embrace change and support rapid execution. This requires investing as much time and energy into building trust as into building speed.
Organizational trust components. Organizational trust, like personal trust, relies on authenticity, empathy, and logic. Organizations that wobble on these dimensions risk losing the confidence of their stakeholders. By addressing these wobbles head-on, leaders can unlock their organization's full potential and achieve sustainable, accelerated growth.
2. Identify the Real Problem, Not Just the Symptoms
Monday’s ambition is to find the problem, a gritty little word we often dilute and defang in the American workplace, replacing it with more palatable substitutes like issue or opportunity.
Surface-level vs. root cause. Many organizations address symptoms rather than the underlying problems, leading to ineffective solutions and wasted effort. Identifying the real problem requires challenging assumptions, gathering diverse perspectives, and digging beneath the surface to uncover the root causes. This is the core mission of "Monday."
Building a problem-solving team. Assemble a team of individuals with diverse roles, perspectives, and strong empathy skills to explore what's holding the organization back. This team should be comfortable with discomfort and skilled at observing and honoring the experiences of others.
Data-driven diagnosis. Collect and analyze organizational data, including financial statements, customer feedback, employee surveys, and hot-spot information, to build a case for the problem. Supplement this data with conversations with stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the issue.
3. Solve for Trust by Addressing Authenticity, Empathy, and Logic
Just like personal trust, we’ve found that organizational trust relies on the presence of authenticity, empathy, and logic.
Trust as a three-legged stool. Organizational trust is built on three key pillars: authenticity (being true to your values and commitments), empathy (understanding and caring about your stakeholders' needs), and logic (having a sound strategy and the capabilities to execute it). A weakness in any of these areas can erode trust and hinder progress.
Identifying trust wobbles. Determine which of the three trust pillars is the weakest in your organization. Are stakeholders questioning your company's empathy, logic, or authenticity? Addressing this "trust wobble" is crucial for rebuilding confidence and accelerating change.
Experimentation and learning. Develop a "Good Enough Plan" to address the trust wobble, and then test and improve that plan through smart experiments. Embrace intelligent failure as a learning opportunity and be willing to adapt your approach based on the results.
4. Embrace Intelligent Failure as a Learning Tool
The point, again, is to learn.
Failure as a source of learning. A key element of moving fast and fixing things is to embrace intelligent failure as a valuable source of learning. Treat every action as an experiment and view setbacks as opportunities to gain insights and refine your approach.
Creating a "Fail Wall." Encourage employees to openly share their mistakes and lessons learned. This can help to normalize failure and create a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement. NerdWallet's "Fail Wall" is a great example.
Pilot projects and experimentation. Frame your change initiatives as pilot projects designed to test and learn. This reduces the pressure to be right and encourages a more iterative and adaptive approach. The goal is to find new "beeps" (feedback signals) that guide you toward a solution.
5. Inclusion Amplifies Innovation and Performance
Inclusion is the act of creating conditions for other people to thrive, not in spite of their differences as complex, multidimensional humans, but precisely because of those differences.
Diversity without inclusion is insufficient. Simply recruiting a diverse workforce is not enough. To unlock the full potential of diversity, organizations must create a culture of inclusion where everyone feels safe, welcome, celebrated, and championed for their unique contributions.
The Inclusion Dial. Use the Inclusion Dial to assess the level of inclusion in your organization. Are people feeling safe, welcome, celebrated, or championed? Identify areas where inclusion is lacking and develop strategies to move people up the dial.
Overcoming the common information effect. Inclusion helps to overcome the "common information effect," which limits the amount of information available for collective decision-making in diverse teams. By valuing everyone's unique perspectives, organizations can access a wider range of knowledge and make better decisions.
6. Tell a Compelling Change Story with Honesty and Optimism
Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.
Storytelling as a leadership tool. Effective change leaders are skilled storytellers who can communicate a clear and compelling vision for the future. A well-crafted change story can inspire action, build trust, and align stakeholders around a common goal.
Three key elements of a change story:
- Honor the past: Acknowledge the organization's history, both the good and the bad.
- Articulate the change mandate: Explain why change is necessary and what problem you're trying to solve.
- Provide a rigorous and optimistic way forward: Describe your plan for change and inspire confidence in its success.
Authenticity and transparency. Be honest about the challenges and opportunities ahead. Acknowledge past mistakes and demonstrate a commitment to learning from them. This builds trust and credibility with stakeholders.
7. Empower Others by Distributing Decision-Making
The fastest way to speed up your company is to empower more people to make more decisions.
Decentralized decision-making. A key barrier to speed is often a centralized decision-making structure where all decisions must flow through a single point. Empowering more people to make decisions can significantly accelerate the pace of change.
Mission Command. Adopt a "Mission Command" approach, where leaders focus on teaching subordinates how to make decisions on their own, rather than dictating every action. This requires clear communication of goals, values, and constraints.
Ritz-Carlton's empowerment policy. Emulate Ritz-Carlton's policy of giving every employee the power to spend up to $2,000 to solve a guest problem on their own. This demonstrates trust in employees and empowers them to take ownership of customer satisfaction.
8. Prioritize Ruthlessly to Maximize Speed
If you’re going to prioritize speed, then you’re going to have to deprioritize something else.
The impossible triangle. Recognize that you can't be great at everything. To prioritize speed, you must be willing to deprioritize other aspects of the business, such as cost or quality. This requires making strategic trade-offs and communicating them clearly to stakeholders.
Little's Law. Apply Little's Law to identify bottlenecks and reduce work in process (WIP). By focusing on fewer projects and tasks, you can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of your organization.
Southwest Airlines' strategy. Emulate Southwest Airlines' strategy of prioritizing low prices by sacrificing certain in-flight amenities. This allowed them to turn their planes around faster and offer more competitive fares.
9. Cultivate a Culture of Urgency and Action
There is such a thing as being too late.
Time as a precious resource. Instill a sense of urgency throughout the organization by emphasizing the importance of time as a precious and perishable resource. This requires creating a culture where people are empowered to take action and make decisions quickly.
Culture eats strategy. Recognize that culture is a powerful force that can either accelerate or hinder change. Build a culture that values speed, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
FedEx's "bleeding purple" culture. Emulate FedEx's "bleeding purple" culture, where employees are empowered to go above and beyond to meet customer needs. This requires a strong commitment to customer service and a willingness to break the rules when necessary.
10. Manage Conflict Skillfully to Maintain Momentum
Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.
Conflict avoidance as a speed bump. Unresolved conflict can drain energy, erode trust, and slow down progress. Develop a culture where conflict is addressed openly and constructively.
Conflict debt. Recognize the concept of "conflict debt" and take steps to reduce it by addressing undiscussed and unresolved issues. This requires creating a safe space for people to voice their concerns and disagree respectfully.
Creative abrasion. Embrace "creative abrasion," where different ideas and approaches are debated and challenged to generate innovative solutions. This requires a willingness to engage in healthy conflict and to value diverse perspectives.
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FAQ
1. What is "Move Fast and Fix Things" by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss about?
- Leadership Playbook for Change: The book presents a practical, step-by-step guide for leaders to solve hard organizational problems quickly while building trust and inclusivity.
- Rejects False Trade-Offs: It challenges the notion that speed and care for people are mutually exclusive, arguing that the best leaders move fast and fix things without causing collateral damage.
- Weeklong Framework: The authors structure their method as a five-day playbook, with each day dedicated to a specific step in the change process.
- Focus on Trust and Speed: Central to the book is the idea that trust and speed are not only compatible but mutually reinforcing in driving lasting organizational excellence.
2. Why should I read "Move Fast and Fix Things" by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss?
- Actionable Guidance: The book offers a clear, actionable framework for leaders at any level to accelerate change and solve tough problems.
- Addresses Modern Challenges: It’s tailored for today’s fast-paced, uncertain business environment, where organizations must adapt quickly without sacrificing trust or culture.
- Emphasis on Inclusion: The authors highlight the competitive and ethical advantages of building inclusive, high-trust teams.
- Real-World Examples: The book is filled with stories and case studies from companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Best Buy, making the advice relatable and proven.
3. What are the key takeaways from "Move Fast and Fix Things"?
- Trust and Speed Go Together: Building trust is not a drag on speed; it’s the foundation for sustainable, accelerated change.
- Five-Day Change Playbook: The book’s Monday-to-Friday structure provides a repeatable process: identify the real problem, solve for trust, make new friends (inclusion), tell a good story, and execute with urgency.
- Inclusion Drives Performance: Inclusive teams outperform homogenous ones, but only if organizations move beyond diversity to true inclusion.
- Urgency Matters: There is such a thing as being too late; leaders must act with the “fierce urgency of now” to avoid missed opportunities and organizational decline.
4. How does the five-day playbook in "Move Fast and Fix Things" work?
- Monday – Identify the Real Problem: Gather a diverse team, challenge assumptions, and use data and direct conversations to pinpoint the most urgent, solvable barrier to progress.
- Tuesday – Solve for Trust: Diagnose where trust is “wobbly” (authenticity, empathy, or logic), and run experiments to rebuild it with stakeholders.
- Wednesday – Make New Friends (Inclusion): Move beyond diversity to create an environment where differences are celebrated and everyone’s unique contributions are valued.
- Thursday – Tell a Good Story: Craft and communicate a compelling narrative that honors the past, explains the need for change, and inspires confidence in the future.
- Friday – Go as Fast as You Can: Empower others, streamline processes, and execute with urgency, while being willing to be “bad” at less important things to excel at what matters.
5. What is the "FIX map" in "Move Fast and Fix Things" and how does it help organizations?
- Four Organizational Quadrants: The FIX map categorizes organizations into Accelerating Excellence, Responsible Stewardship, Reckless Disruption, and Inevitable Decline based on their levels of trust and speed.
- Diagnostic Tool: Leaders use the map to honestly assess where their organization stands and what trade-offs or costs they’re experiencing.
- Guides Change Strategy: The map helps identify whether the organization needs to build more trust, increase speed, or both, and informs the starting point for the five-day playbook.
- Encourages Reflection: By placing themselves on the map, leaders can better understand the root causes of their challenges and prioritize the right interventions.
6. How do Frances Frei and Anne Morriss define and address "trust wobbles" in organizations?
- Three Pillars of Trust: Trust is built on authenticity (do you mean what you say?), empathy (do you care about me?), and logic (are you capable?).
- Identifying Wobbles: Organizations lose trust when they falter on one or more of these pillars; the book provides tools to diagnose which pillar is “wobbly.”
- Targeted Experiments: Leaders are encouraged to run small, fast experiments to address the specific trust wobble, whether it’s improving communication, showing more empathy, or clarifying logic.
- Trust as a Foundation for Speed: The more trust an organization builds, the faster and more effectively it can implement change.
7. What is the role of inclusion in "Move Fast and Fix Things," and how is it different from diversity?
- Inclusion vs. Diversity: Diversity is about representation; inclusion is about creating conditions where everyone can thrive because of their differences, not in spite of them.
- Inclusion Dial: The book introduces the Inclusion Dial (safe, welcome, celebrated, championed) to help organizations assess and improve the inclusion experience for all employees.
- Performance Link: Inclusive teams access more unique information, make better decisions, and outperform homogenous teams, but only if psychological safety and true belonging are present.
- Practical Steps: The authors provide actionable advice for moving people up the Inclusion Dial, from ensuring basic safety to championing uniqueness at scale.
8. How does "Move Fast and Fix Things" recommend leaders handle failure and experimentation?
- Embrace Intelligent Failure: The book advocates for treating every action as an experiment and learning systematically from what doesn’t work.
- Fail Wall Mindset: Organizations like NerdWallet use visible “Fail Walls” to destigmatize mistakes and encourage risk-taking.
- Pilot Projects: Leaders are urged to run pilot projects (Good Enough Plans) rather than waiting for perfect solutions, iterating quickly based on feedback.
- Celebrate Learning: Failure is reframed as a valuable source of information that accelerates progress toward effective solutions.
9. What storytelling techniques do Frances Frei and Anne Morriss recommend for leading change?
- Three-Part Narrative: Effective change stories honor the past (both good and bad), provide a clear and compelling mandate for change, and describe a rigorous, optimistic way forward.
- Simplicity and Depth: Leaders should understand the change deeply enough to explain it simply, avoiding jargon and making the story accessible to all stakeholders.
- Repetition is Key: Change leaders must communicate their story far more often than feels necessary to ensure alignment and momentum.
- Emotional Resonance: Using emotion—optimism, devotion, even discomfort—makes the story more persuasive and helps drive commitment.
10. How does "Move Fast and Fix Things" advise leaders to balance speed with quality and risk?
- Strategic Trade-Offs: The “impossible triangle” (cost, quality, speed) means organizations must be willing to be “bad” at some things to be great at what matters most.
- Empowerment for Speed: Leaders should decentralize decision-making, empowering more people to act quickly within clear guidelines.
- Reduce Work in Process: Applying principles like Little’s Law, the book suggests reducing the number of simultaneous projects to increase overall speed.
- Urgency with Care: Speed should not come at the expense of trust or inclusion; urgency is most effective when built on a foundation of clarity and psychological safety.
11. What are some of the most memorable quotes from "Move Fast and Fix Things" and what do they mean?
- “Move fast and fix things.” – The book’s core message: progress and care for people are not mutually exclusive; leaders can and should do both.
- “There is such a thing as being too late.” – Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the authors stress the importance of acting with urgency to avoid missed opportunities.
- “The fastest way to speed up your company is to empower more people to make more decisions.” – Decentralized decision-making is key to organizational agility.
- “Inclusion helps you win.” – Inclusion is not just a moral imperative but a competitive advantage that drives innovation and performance.
12. What practical tools, frameworks, and checklists does "Move Fast and Fix Things" provide for leaders?
- Monday Morning Questions: A set of prompts to help teams surface real problems and challenge assumptions.
- FIX Map and Inclusion Dial: Visual frameworks for diagnosing organizational health and inclusion.
- Ten Signs Your Organization Is Stalling: A checklist to identify cultural resistance to change.
- Meeting and Decision-Making Guides: Tips for running better meetings, reducing work in process, and empowering teams.
- GUT CHECKS: At the end of each step, the book provides “gut check” questions to ensure readiness before moving forward.
Review Summary
Move Fast and Fix Things receives mixed reviews, with an average rating of 3.63/5. Readers appreciate its practical approach to organizational change and problem-solving, broken down into a five-day framework. Many find the writing style engaging and the concepts easy to understand. However, some criticize the book for lack of depth, overuse of anecdotes, and repetition of ideas from the authors' previous works. The book's focus on high-level executives and its potentially unrealistic timeline for implementing change are also noted as drawbacks by some readers.
About the Author
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