Blake Hall

So for example, if you ask somebody about buckling up when you drive or painting your house pink, they might say like, yeah, it's annoying, but it keeps you safe. And I think it makes sense and people should buckle up more often. You're in a conversation about buckling up when you drive and we should probably be more responsible about that.

So for example, if you ask somebody about buckling up when you drive or painting your house pink, they might say like, yeah, it's annoying, but it keeps you safe. And I think it makes sense and people should buckle up more often. You're in a conversation about buckling up when you drive and we should probably be more responsible about that.

The systems level thinker will have a totally different answer. They'll be like, that's bullshit because it's the same question. So they reject the frame first. They go, what we're really talking about are what are the limits of individual freedoms when it comes to some broader impact on the surrounding community or public? And so maybe let's just talk about that.

The systems level thinker will have a totally different answer. They'll be like, that's bullshit because it's the same question. So they reject the frame first. They go, what we're really talking about are what are the limits of individual freedoms when it comes to some broader impact on the surrounding community or public? And so maybe let's just talk about that.

You could talk about cigarettes in public too, right? So let's talk about that. And now you're into a completely different conversation. So what's true thematically is true systems level thinkers, they think over different time horizons. So think about Elon Musk. He's thinking over millennia.

You could talk about cigarettes in public too, right? So let's talk about that. And now you're into a completely different conversation. So what's true thematically is true systems level thinkers, they think over different time horizons. So think about Elon Musk. He's thinking over millennia.

He wants to make humans multi-planetary, and all of his actions day to day are guided by this overriding mission to get folks to Mars as a broader bridge to being a multi-planetary resilient species.

He wants to make humans multi-planetary, and all of his actions day to day are guided by this overriding mission to get folks to Mars as a broader bridge to being a multi-planetary resilient species.

thinks over, and when you think about your CEOs of oil and gas companies and everything else, and they're riding these broad macroeconomic trends responsible for geopolitical dynamics across different cultures, they have to be good at so many different things. And so what's remarkable is stratum four is the shift from linear thinking to conceptual thinking.

thinks over, and when you think about your CEOs of oil and gas companies and everything else, and they're riding these broad macroeconomic trends responsible for geopolitical dynamics across different cultures, they have to be good at so many different things. And so what's remarkable is stratum four is the shift from linear thinking to conceptual thinking.

But the thing about stratum four is they'll be able to start to feel concepts, but they wouldn't be able to go to a whiteboard and explain to you how they influence each other. So for us, like stratum four is where we want our VPs to be who are on the road. But keep in mind, it takes maybe five to 10 years to move from one stratum to the next.

But the thing about stratum four is they'll be able to start to feel concepts, but they wouldn't be able to go to a whiteboard and explain to you how they influence each other. So for us, like stratum four is where we want our VPs to be who are on the road. But keep in mind, it takes maybe five to 10 years to move from one stratum to the next.

Stratum five is when you can not only see concepts, but if you went up to the whiteboard, you could organize them and you could make it really simple. That's where you go, hey guys, it's really this. This influences all this other stuff. And so what you'll typically find with like stratum four thinkers is just a lot of detail.

Stratum five is when you can not only see concepts, but if you went up to the whiteboard, you could organize them and you could make it really simple. That's where you go, hey guys, it's really this. This influences all this other stuff. And so what you'll typically find with like stratum four thinkers is just a lot of detail.

But what you'll continually have to go back to is, hey, listen, I love the math. I love the work. What's the headline synthesis? If you find yourself talking for like, you're like looking at this Excel spreadsheet and they haven't taken the time to just give you the headline number, you're probably talking to a stratum three or a stratum four worker. And it's just how their brain works.

But what you'll continually have to go back to is, hey, listen, I love the math. I love the work. What's the headline synthesis? If you find yourself talking for like, you're like looking at this Excel spreadsheet and they haven't taken the time to just give you the headline number, you're probably talking to a stratum three or a stratum four worker. And it's just how their brain works.

Stratum five is where it's simple. And then stratum six and seven is where you start to deal with like how concepts influence other concepts. You're thinking over very long time horizons. So to be on our executive team, you have to be at least stratum five because you have to take a very complicated thing and make it clear.

Stratum five is where it's simple. And then stratum six and seven is where you start to deal with like how concepts influence other concepts. You're thinking over very long time horizons. So to be on our executive team, you have to be at least stratum five because you have to take a very complicated thing and make it clear.

And I just noticed that as we were scaling, I would have different conversations with different executives. The higher stratum ones would come to me and they'd be like, Blake, I got 99 problems, like everything's burning, but these are the three that matter. Here's how I see if we execute on this, it hits that. Is that aligned? And I'm like, yeah, that's aligned.

And I just noticed that as we were scaling, I would have different conversations with different executives. The higher stratum ones would come to me and they'd be like, Blake, I got 99 problems, like everything's burning, but these are the three that matter. Here's how I see if we execute on this, it hits that. Is that aligned? And I'm like, yeah, that's aligned.