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At all-hands meetings, Travis answered questions and also explained his thinking on why that was the answer. People left knowing how the answer was reached, which let them make similar calls without him.
Setting down principles carries the same idea into daily work. A principle for how to think about a given problem or solution area gives teams something to apply to the problem themselves, and that amplifies the power of the organization.
How do armies teach leaders to decide without orders?
The Prussian army developed Auftragstaktik after its defeat by Napoleon at Jena in 1806. Commanders gave subordinates the goal and the reasoning instead of detailed instructions, so that officers could adapt when conditions changed. Modern militaries including the US Army use the term commander's intent for the purpose statement attached to an order.
How do written principles help teams decide?
A written principle lets a team test a decision against an agreed rule without asking its author. It also makes the reasoning visible, so disagreements focus on a specific principle. Amazon publishes its leadership principles, which it uses in hiring and decisions. Ray Dalio published Principles as a book in 2017 after sharing an earlier version online in 2011.