How do you stack up?

So - I wrote a grading rubric for CEOs and leaders to see how well their company is performing within the “Sagan System”.

Give it a shot, and see how you stack up…

At the very least, it will give you some ideas for where you need to focus your efforts to get to the next level.

After you are done - respond to this email and tell me where you feel strongest & weakest.

I plan on writing a lot more about this stuff!

Here is the overview of the system (and each of the 10 pillars) - if you need a refresher.

Pillar 1: Start with the End in Mind

Beginner

• You have some goals, but they're pretty vague

• You kind of think about what you want to achieve, but not in much detail

• Your daily work doesn't always line up with your big goals

• You might change your mind about what you want a lot

Intermediate

• You set clear goals for most of your projects

• You can picture what success looks like for your business

• Most of your team members understand how their work helps achieve the big goals

• You stick to your goals most of the time, but might get sidetracked sometimes

Advanced

• You always think about the end result before starting anything

• Everyone in your company knows exactly what you're aiming for

• All your daily activities clearly support your long-term goals

• You're flexible in how you reach your goals, but you don't lose sight of what you want

Pillar 2: Go FAST - Speed is Your Ally

Beginner

• You've heard of the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), but don't really use it

• Company leadership gets a lot of Slack or Teams messages in order for decisions to be made

• Your company is usually slower than others to react to changes

Intermediate

• Your team can make some decisions on their own without asking “the boss”

• You have a system for gathering and analyzing information quickly

• Your company can usually keep up with changes in the market, by competitors, or to better service your customers

Advanced

• The OODA loop is second nature to everyone in your company

• Reversible decisions are made super fast at all levels of the company

• The company’s maneuverability is a competitive weapon versus it’s competition

• All levels of the company are collecting and analyzing information to integrate into better decision making

Pillar 3: Talent is Global

Beginner

• Most of your employees work in the same city as your office

• You've thought about hiring people from other countries, but haven't done it much

• You have basic tools for remote work, like video calls

Intermediate

• You have some team members working from different countries - usually just Philippine Virtual Assistant types.

• You have good systems set up for remote work

• You've figured out how to deal with different time zones

Advanced

• Your team is truly global, with people from many different countries

• You're known as a great place to work for people all over the world

• You have amazing tools and systems for working across different cultures and time zones

• Being global is a big part of what makes your company special

Pillar 4: Everyone Plays at the Top of Their Game

Beginner

• You know some tasks could be done by automation, but haven't done much

• Your team often does boring, repetitive work

• You've heard of AI tools but don't use them much

Intermediate

• You've automated some of the repetitive tasks in your business

• Your team members usually work on things that match their skills

• You use some AI tools to help with work - but not systematically

Advanced

• Almost all repetitive tasks are done by computers or AI

• Your team only works on creative, high-level, strategic tasks, or in person outputs

• You're always looking for new ways to use AI and automation

• Your human employees and AI tools work together seamlessly

Pillar 5: Empowered Remote Leadership

Beginner

• The boss makes most of the decisions

• Team members aren't always sure why they're doing certain tasks

• You give feedback to employees once in a while

Intermediate

• Team leaders can make some important decisions on their own

• Everyone knows the company's main goals

• You have a system for giving regular feedback

• People feel pretty comfortable sharing ideas

Advanced

• Teams make most decisions on their own, guided by the company's vision

• Everyone in the company can explain how their work helps achieve big goals

• There's a culture of constant learning and improvement

• Leaders focus on inspiring and supporting their teams, not micromanaging

Pillar 6: Write It Down

Beginner

• You have some written instructions, but they're often out of date

• New team members have to ask a lot of questions to figure things out

• Important information is sometimes only in people's heads

• No documented onboarding process

Intermediate

• Most of your important processes are written down

• You have a place where people can find company policies and expectations

• You update your documentation pretty regularly

Advanced

• Everything important is written down and easy to find

• Your documentation is always up-to-date and clear

• Writing things down is a natural part of how everyone works

• New team members can get up to speed quickly using your documentation

Pillar 7: Architect the Way Work Gets Done

Beginner

• Work gets done, but it's not always clear how

• You use some to-do lists or project management tools

• Different teams might have different ways of working

Intermediate

• You have standard ways of doing most tasks

• You use forms or templates for common processes

• You have boards or charts that show how work is progressing

Advanced

• Every output in your company follows a clear, efficient process

• Work smoothly flows from one person or team to another

• You're always improving how work gets done based on data and feedback

• Anyone can quickly understand how any part of the company operates

Pillar 8: Right Message, Right Medium

Beginner

• You use email for most communication

• Sometimes messages get lost or misunderstood

• You have some team meetings, but they're not always productive

Intermediate

• You use different tools for different types of communication (like chat for quick questions, video for important discussions)

• People generally know when to use each communication tool

• Your meetings are usually focused and useful

Advanced

• You have clear rules about what communication tool to use when

• Everyone in the company is great at communicating clearly and efficiently

• You regularly check how well your communication is working and make it better

• Miscommunications are rare because everyone knows how to share information effectively

Pillar 9: Content is King

Beginner

• You create some content for marketing, like social media posts or a newsletter

• You don't really have a plan for your content

• Only a few people in your company create content

Intermediate

• You regularly create different types of content (videos, blog posts, etc.)

• You have a basic plan for what content to create and when

• Several teams in your company create content as part of their work

Advanced

• Creating valuable content is a part of everyone's job

• You have a sophisticated system for turning your company's knowledge into useful content

• Your content strategy drives a lot of your business growth

• You're seen as a thought leader in your industry because of your content

Pillar 10: This is What Winning Looks Like

Beginner

• You're a beginning in more than 6 parts of the Sagan system

• You're starting to see some benefits from the changes you've made

Intermediate

• You’re a beginner in no more than 3 parts of the Sagan system

Advanced

• You’re a beginner in zero parts of the Sagan System

• Your company is known for being innovative, efficient, and adaptable

• Your way of working is so effective that other companies try to copy you

Yallah Habibi,

Jon

Passage of the Week

“If a single action was sufficient to stamp the character of any virtue upon the person who performed it, the most worthless of mankind. might lay claim to all the virtues; since there is no man who has not, upon some occasions, acted with prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.

But though single actions, however laudable,  reflect very little praise upon the person who performs them, a single vicious action performed by one whose conduct is usually very regular, greatly diminishes and sometimes destroys altogether our opinion of his virtue.

A single action of this kind sufficiently shows that his habits are not perfect, and that he is less to be depended upon, than, from the usual train of his behaviour, we might have been apt to imagine”