Teach Yearning before Skill

From Weekly I/O#110


"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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Inspiring people to be mission-driven is way more important than giving orders in the long run. Missionaries go for the long-game marathon, while mercenaries take orders and go for the sprint, focusing on the short term.

Furthermore, for high agency mission-driven people, sometimes giving clear orders is detrimental. Figuring out the work themselves is part of what motivates them.


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