Do the Right Thing, Every Time: Lessons on Leadership and Agency
Summary
Author Eric Ries delves into the Lean Startup methodology and its application to both nascent ventures and established companies. He introduces the concept of "The Startup Way," emphasizing the critical roles of people, culture, process, and accountability in fostering innovation and long-term organizational health. Ries explores the blueprint for creating "incorruptible" organizations through purpose-driven missions and structural integrity, highlighting the often-underestimated power and agency individuals possess to drive change. The discussion also touches upon AI's transformative impact on innovation, advocating for human-augmented creativity.Episode description
About the Guest:
Eric Ries has been a force in entrepreneurship and innovation for over twenty years. He is the creator of the Lean Startup method and the author of The Lean Startup, The Leader’s Guide, and The Startup Way. His ideas have shaped how startups and large companies approach growth, decision-making, and innovation.
As a founder, Eric has applied his principles with ventures like The Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE); Answer.AI, an AI research lab; the Lean Startup Co.; Virgil, a legal services startup; and IMVU, where many of the concepts that became the Lean Startup method were forged. He has served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School and IDEO. Eric lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.
What You Will Learn:
- How to create systems and cultures that encourage experimentation and learning
- Lessons in influencing and leading without formal authority
- Why long-term thinking matters for both founders and teams
- The importance of compounding small, deliberate actions over time
- Insights on how Lean Startup principles can transform established organizations
Join us for a deep dive into leadership, innovation, and the mindset that allows founders and executives to build companies that last. Eric’s approach is practical, disciplined, and forward-thinking. Tune in to gain strategies that go beyond theory and into the real-world application of building lasting organizations.
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