People as vectors
Located in: Organization
Think of everyone in your organization as a vector with a direction and magnitude. These vectors can be summed. When people work in the same direction (where we want to be, the Purpose and Vision), the magnitudes add together. When people work in different directions, it subtracts and decreases the overall impact.
This idea is credited to Elon Musk:
Every person in your company is a vector. Your progress is determined by the sum of all vectors. [1]
Dharmesh Shah suggests you can use vectors for many things. As an example, you can use this metaphor to understand how to manage projects:
- Is the magnitude enough? Do we have the enough of the right people on the team to accomplish it?
- Are the people and the teams aligned?