If there is a Bible for Silicon Valley CEOs, it is High Output Management by Andy Grove.

Though this isn't just a book—it is the operating system that helped Intel scale to become the world's largest semiconductor manufacturer. It is the framework used by leaders at Apple, Facebook, and Google. But does a book written about a chip manufacturer in the 80s actually apply to modern creative businesses?

To find out, I’m sitting down with my co-founder at Fascinate Productions, Rich Willan. Rich is obsessive about systems. He turned our creative workflows into a well-oiled machine, and he credits this book with changing how he leads.

1. 00:00 – Introducing High Output Management by Andy Grove.
2. 01:48 – The Breakfast Factory: Why everything—even creative work—is a process.
3. 05:39 – The "Podcast OS": Rich reveals the system he built to produce the Zoe Science & Nutrition show
4. 10:05 – Systemizing Personal Life: How Rich uses SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to book holidays and avoid "desert madness."
5. 11:32 – Task Relevant Maturity (TRM): The definitive guide on when to micromanage vs. when to delegate.
6. 16:56 – Leverage: How to distinguish between $10 tasks and $10,000 tasks.
7. 18:19 – Negative Leverage: Why being late to a meeting destroys more value than you think.
8. 19:37 – The Calendar Audit: Andy Grove’s method for color-coding your schedule to maximize output.

📚 High Output Management by Andy Grove

1. Tim Ferriss & Tobias Lütke Podcast: The episode where Rich first discovered the book.
2. Zoe Science & Nutrition: The podcast Rich produces using his "Podcast OS."

Rich Willan, Co-Founder of Fascinate Productions

Follow Sam on LinkedIn

Want to get in touch? Whether you want to suggest a guest, sponsor the show, leave some feedback or just get in touch to tell me what you're working on, here's the link for you: https://forms.gle/NHGL9ftFRhu4cKFLA