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

      182 ratings


      More shows like At Work with The Ready

      View all
      The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

      The Look & Sound of Leadership

      1,165 Listeners

      Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

      Coaching for Leaders

      1,463 Listeners

      HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

      HBR IdeaCast

      1,849 Listeners

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

      How to Be Awesome at Your Job

      1,030 Listeners

      Radical Candor: Communication at Work by Kim Scott, Jason Rosoff & Amy Sandler

      Radical Candor: Communication at Work

      701 Listeners

      Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

      Worklife with Adam Grant

      9,142 Listeners

      FranklinCovey On Leadership by FranklinCovey

      FranklinCovey On Leadership

      211 Listeners

      The Happiness Lab: Getting Unstuck by Pushkin Industries

      The Happiness Lab: Getting Unstuck

      14,401 Listeners

      The Josh Bersin Company by Josh Bersin

      The Josh Bersin Company

      56 Listeners

      A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

      A Bit of Optimism

      2,189 Listeners

      Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

      Coaching Real Leaders

      667 Listeners

      ReThinking by TED

      ReThinking

      625 Listeners

      Fixable by TED

      Fixable

      222 Listeners

      HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

      HBR On Leadership

      170 Listeners

      Dare to Lead with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Dare to Lead with Brené Brown

      284 Listeners