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Part 2: 10xPrinciples on Identifying Latent 10x Talent

The first part of this series, Defining the Principles of 10x, establishes that 10x performers are awesome problem solvers. Typically, these uncommonly productive employees are senior-level because this performance requires a degree of judiciousness and skill that comes from experience. Although one may be tempted to build a team composed entirely of senior-level 10x performers, they’re hard to hire and they’re expensive. Furthermore, it’s healthier for an organization to have… Read More »Part 2: 10xPrinciples on Identifying Latent 10x Talent

Part 1: 10xPrinciples on the Principles of 10x

When a position description requests a “rock star developer,” one might wonder two things: 1) When will this tired, last century phrase go away, and 2) Who really wants Eddie Van Halen coding a website? Along the same lines, those in engineering circles have long sought “10x programmers,” who are ten times as productive as their ordinary counterparts. Do such unicorns exist or is this some engineering mythology that needs… Read More »Part 1: 10xPrinciples on the Principles of 10x

10xPrinciples Approach to Containing and Eliminating Fires

Startups are motivated by youthful energy, fueled by adrenaline, and supplemented by caffeine. The frenetic pace of a startup cannot be sustained forever. If a company remains a startup too long, it will either burn through its cash or the original team will become too long in the tooth to muster the same enthusiasm that powered its early victories. Or both. Companies that successfully navigate the transition from a startup… Read More »10xPrinciples Approach to Containing and Eliminating Fires

The 10xPrinciples Approach to the Incentive Compensation Conundrum

Managers and employees alike have long had an uneasy relationship with Incentive Compensation (IC). The custom of “remembering the workers” began at the end of the 19th century, with employers giving employees candy, turkeys, or watches for the year-end holidays. The F.J. Woolworth company was the first to institute cash bonuses of $5 for each year of service. Investment banks picked up on the idea and ushered in massive Wall… Read More »The 10xPrinciples Approach to the Incentive Compensation Conundrum