Nate’s Notes 118: Huggy Rao | Remove Obstacles that Infuriate. Insert Obstacles that Educate.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Meikles & Dimes. I love Huggy’s approach of trying to create conditions where employees can choose a more curious and generous version of themselves.

Whether leaders are wasting others’ time or underestimating coordination problems, they are creating bad friction that leads people to say things like, “After pouring myself into my BS work each day, I only have scraps of myself for my family.”

But not all friction is bad. Creating friction for the Oakland Police Department led to less African Americans and Latinos being unjustly stopped.

As a result, a leader has two primary jobs: Remove obstacles that infuriate. And insert obstacles that educate.

It’s a simple idea. Please take it seriously.

Huggy Rao Bio:

Hayagreeva “Huggy” Rao, professor at Stanford University, is the author of several bestselling books, including his most recent, with co-author Bob Sutton, The Friction Project. His books have been covered in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Inc. Magazine, Amazon, Forbes, and Washington Post among others.

Huggy has also consulted with organizations such as British Petroleum, CEMEX, General Electric, IBM, Mass Mutual, American Cancer Society, the FBI and CIA.