PRAXIS
Practical principles that guide our everyday work.
START WITH A PROBLEM AND WORK BACKWARDS.
Identify problems in the world and then look to solve them. If you can't answer the question "What problem am I solving?", then you should be doing something else.
UNDERSTAND YOUR SPACE AND INVEST IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
Having a solution to a problem doesn't mean it's the right solution, or even the right problem to work on. The better you understand the breadth of both problems and what's available to solve them, the better you can choose the right work for the largest impact given finite resources.
TRY SOMETHING, MEASURE IT, AND LEARN.
If a question can be answered with data, don't debate it: test it. With any solution, have a plan to measure how it addresses the problem. Inspect outliers and learn from your results. Your first try may not be right, but your learnings last either way.
YOU CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE, BUT YOU DON'T ALWAYS NEED TO.
Be humble: remember that your ideas can always be improved with collaboration and iteration. However, also remember that time is limited. Keep your goals in mind and don't over-optimize.
CUT THE COMPLEXITY.
Every step of a process and every line of code has a cost, and maintaining simplicity takes effort. Bias for the simplest possible solution, and actively prune existing systems as you learn what's valuable.
PEOPLE OVER PRODUCT.
Your team is your most important asset. People are happier and perform better when they have varied and fulfilling lives outside of work, and that should be built into every plan. Create procedures that help everyone work sustainably, develop their careers, and be recognized for their performance equitably.