instinct

Define any task or problem completely: What, Why, Where, When, Who, How, How Much.

Measure startup/product growth across Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue.

Choose growth strategy — Market Penetration, Market Development, Product Development, or Diversification.

Translate strategy into metrics across Financial, Customer, Internal Process, and Learning & Growth perspectives.

Classify portfolio items as Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks, or Dogs by market share and growth.

Design or audit a business model across 9 blocks: segments, value props, channels, relationships, revenue, resources, activities, partners, costs.

Set goals that are Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable — built for dynamic environments.

Visualize every touchpoint a customer has with a product or service — stages, actions, emotions, pain points, opportunities.

Match decision-making approach to context complexity: Clear, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic, Confused.

Assign decision roles: Driver (moves it forward), Approver (decides), Contributors (advise), Informed (notified).

Design problems with two diamond phases: Discover/Define (right problem), Develop/Deliver (right solution).

Create blue ocean strategy by deciding what to Eliminate, Reduce, Raise, and Create vs the industry standard.

Track predictions vs actual outcomes over time to identify true strengths and blind spots.

Break problems down to fundamental truths and rebuild solutions from scratch — stripping away assumptions.

Map causes of a problem across categories (People, Process, Technology, Environment, etc.) to find root drivers.

"Find root cause of a problem by asking "Why?" five times — moving from symptom to systemic cause."

Map driving forces (pushing toward change) vs restraining forces (resisting change) to plan change management.

Solve forward problems by thinking backward: instead of 'how to succeed', ask 'how to fail' then avoid it.

Identify what customers hire a product to accomplish — functional, social, and emotional jobs.

Classify features as Basic, Performance, or Delight to optimize satisfaction and product investment.

One-page business model for startups: Problem, Solution, UVP, Unfair Advantage, Channels, Segments, Revenue Streams, Cost Structure, Key Metrics.

Design or audit a go-to-market strategy across Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.

Align organizations across Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, and Staff.

Structure any analysis or communication so items are Mutually Exclusive and Collectively Exhaustive — no gaps, no overlaps.

Prioritize scope into Must Have, Should Have, Could Have, and Won't Have for delivery planning.

Identify the single metric that best captures the value delivered to customers and aligns the whole team.

Align teams with ambitious Objectives and measurable Key Results on a quarterly cycle.

Apply the 80/20 rule: find the 20% of causes that drive 80% of effects to focus effort where it matters most.

Drive continuous improvement through iterative Plan → Do → Check → Act cycles.

Audit external macro-environment across Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental dimensions.

Assess industry competitiveness via Threat of Entry, Supplier Power, Buyer Power, Substitutes, and Rivalry.

Identify competitive advantage by auditing primary activities (inbound, ops, outbound, marketing, service) and support activities.

Prevent failure by imagining the project has failed, then working backward to identify what went wrong.

Validate goals are Positively stated, Understood, Relevant, Ethical.

Structure communication top-down: lead with the answer, then group supporting arguments, then evidence below each.

Clarify roles on any task or decision: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.

Clarify decision authority with five roles: Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide.

Prioritize features/projects by Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort into a single score.

Generate creative ideas by applying seven lenses: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse.

Frame any communication as Situation → Complication → Question → Answer to create narrative tension and clarity.