"Most people rely on their history department way too much — it's the lowest-energy way to generate an answer."
Science dept: open-minded experimentation
Art dept: creative, boundless thinking
History dept: looking up what you already know (default, overused)
Route thoughts to better departments — dramatically better outputs
Framework
The CORE Model: 3 Systems × 3 Focus States × Ability
25%
time in alpha/gamma = optimal rule of thumb
3
trust levels in every relationship
9
brain channels (3 systems × 3 focus levels)
Safety system: activated by threat, doubt, or resentment — goal becomes "get safe," not "contribute"
Reward system: transactional — "That's not my job" is literally your reward system speaking
Purpose system: activated when you understand impact + care about the people affected — works at any scale, even a single email
Ability = reality context + imagination + logic — all three are incrementable through deliberate effort
The 9-channel grid
Most teams only access Safety-Beta (manage optics, look busy) and Reward-Beta (hustle for KPIs). Purpose-Gamma is where breakthrough product thinking lives — most companies never deliberately enter it.
Deep Dive
Influence, Relationships & Habitat Mechanics
Influence: 3 speeds
Slow: let them fail and learn. Takes months or years. Common default
Moderate: teach them something new (Challenger Sale) — share insight, let it percolate, return in 30 days
Fast: cognitive dissonance in the moment — "Why do you believe that?" Drill to the belief, not the surface behavior
Choose your influence character
Match your personality to a consistent mode: compassion-led, logic-led, creativity-led, enthusiasm-led, or devil's advocate. Get team permission to play that role repeatedly — consistency compounds influence.
Relationships: 3 dimensions
Ability: utility you bring — knowledge, reasoning, imagination. All incrementable
Trust (3 levels): T1 = delegate small tasks / T2 = do it as well as me / T3 = do it better than me
Appeal (most underrated): the experience of being around you. Low appeal = you become a sequestered node — information stops flowing to you
Start here above all else
Ask: am I a miserable experience to work with? If yes, fix that before ability or trust. Everything in the system works better once appeal is addressed. Biology overrides meritocracy every time.
Tactics
Better Meetings, Focus & Culture
Prime before deciding: most meetings skip priming entirely. State the purpose, context, and principles before any decision-making
Name the principle conflict: speed vs. accuracy disagreements are unresolvable until you surface the underlying principles
Protect gamma time: block 2–3 hrs weekly + quarterly offsite. "Calendar invaders" now have a home — say yes but not now
Replace mission with role: "Who is glad we exist and why?" — fact-based deduction, not inspiration. Culture built on logic outlasts culture built on feeling
Answer "why" with purpose: "because it's your job" is negligence. Name the real people waiting on the work
Floor vs. ceiling: be deliberate — are you raising the floor (fewer bad outcomes) or uncapping the ceiling (higher potential)?
Habitat > hand-to-hand combat
Team conflict is mostly a symptom of a broken environment. Fix the habitat; dysfunction shrinks automatically. Dan Pink: "There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does."
Contrarian
Brain Science Myths That Are Slowing Your Team Down
✗We're more alike than different — treat everyone the same wayINSTEAD →✓ Personality varies enormously. Build the muscle to work with people who think completely differently — don't fantasize they're wired like you.
✗Mission / vision / values is how you build a real cultureINSTEAD →✓ Performative culture rarely lands. Use logical deduction: "Who is glad we exist, and why?" Culture built from facts beats culture built from inspiration every time.
✗"Deep work" means blocking time to be productive and uninterruptedINSTEAD →✓ Real deep work is gamma — rethinking the architecture, breaking existing frameworks. "Don't bother me beta" is just getting stuff done faster — not thinking differently.
✗Lean into your strengths and don't worry about your weaknessesINSTEAD →✓ Another person's strength is the patch to your bug. Unawareness of your weakness slows everyone else down — you don't have to fix it, but you must know it and name the patch.