At Work with The Ready

AUA: How To Design a Startup OS From Scratch?


Listen Later

Starting a company with a blank slate sounds like a dream—but it’s also a trap. In this mini episode, Rodney and Sam respond to a listener question about how to design an organizational operating system from scratch, without inheriting all the baggage of traditional management.

They argue for resisting the urge to over-design early, letting real tension (not theory) drive structure, and focusing on a few foundational practices that scale. From operating rhythms and Kanban boards to experimentation and “sky sensing,” this episode breaks down what’s actually worth putting in place early—and what’s better left until it hurts.


Mentioned references:

  • "op rhythm": BNW Ep. 118
  • "strategy": AWWTR Ep. 2
  • "experimentation": AWWTR Ep. 38
  • "retrospectives": BNW Ep. 10 with Jordan Husney
  • Kanban board
  • The Ready's Experiment Proposal Template
  • "The Sky" from Depthfinding
  • Mia Wise

  • Schedule a Sky Session with us!


    Got a work question like this one you'd like us to answer? Email us at [email protected]

    --------------------------------

    Ready to change your organization? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Let's talk!⁠⁠⁠⁠


    Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.


    Follow us:

    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
    • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
    • --------------------------------

      Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      At Work with The ReadyBy Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin

      • 5
      • 5
      • 5
      • 5
      • 5

      5

      183 ratings


      More shows like At Work with The Ready

      View all
      Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

      Hidden Brain

      43,534 Listeners

      The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish

      The Knowledge Project

      2,695 Listeners

      Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

      Coaching for Leaders

      1,475 Listeners

      HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

      HBR IdeaCast

      179 Listeners

      How to Be Awesome at Your Job by How to be Awesome at Your Job

      How to Be Awesome at Your Job

      1,037 Listeners

      Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

      Worklife with Adam Grant

      9,135 Listeners

      Inside the Strategy Room by McKinsey & Company

      Inside the Strategy Room

      177 Listeners

      At The Table with Patrick Lencioni by Patrick Lencioni

      At The Table with Patrick Lencioni

      1,132 Listeners

      The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos by Pushkin Industries

      The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

      14,403 Listeners

      A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

      A Bit of Optimism

      2,228 Listeners

      ReThinking by TED

      ReThinking

      619 Listeners

      We Can Do Hard Things by Treat Media and Glennon Doyle

      We Can Do Hard Things

      41,659 Listeners

      Fixable by TED

      Fixable

      222 Listeners

      HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

      HBR On Leadership

      173 Listeners

      What Now? with Trevor Noah by Trevor Noah

      What Now? with Trevor Noah

      4,306 Listeners