What Tarasov, Carroll, and Musk have in Common
"We are trying to do things better than they have ever been done." -Pete Carroll
This is the mission at the Seattle Seahawks…
First Principles
Understanding reality is supposed to be starting with what is true, not what we "think" is true. This is the first principles approach.
The leaders that follow this approach don't ever speak phrases like:
We will do this because it's always been done like this.
We won't attempt this because it's never been done before.
Instead, they essentially use the scientific method we all learned about:
Look at the fundamentals
Decide based on the fundamentals of what your reasoning is
Test to see if what you think works or not
Adjust and adapt
None of these steps require you to second guess or decide not to do it because nobody else has ever done it before. Just because it looks different, doesn't mean it doesn't work.
The likes of Tarasov, Carroll, and Musk are giving us gifts and changing the games in their fields.
They are testing their thoughts without fear of judgment.
They are applying the first principles.
They are out there in the arena.
They aren't blindly stealing and making slight adjustments.
Doing things better than they've ever been done requires innovation, not repeating everything you see.
Sure there is a time and place for that, but I think we can shift to more independent thinking.
There are Levels…
There are play callers and there are coaches in the NFL.
There are cooks and then there are chefs.
See what is possible, not just what is there now.