Lecture Notes: Tim Ferriss and Sam Corcos on Delegation and Company Culture

Introduction

• Tim Ferriss and Sam Corcos discuss systematic approaches to delegation and company culture.
• Goal: To create a comprehensive tactical guide to delegation.

Beginnings of Delegation

• Sam Corcos was inspired by Tim Ferriss’ book 4-Hour Workweek 10 years ago.
• Started with hiring an Executive Assistant (EA) through Craigslist.
• Importance of finding tasks to delegate to improve efficiency.

Common Mistakes in Delegation

• Bad initial experiences often discourage further attempts.
• Importance of a good match between delegator and EA.
• Imposter syndrome and reframing delegation as career growth for EAs.
• Misconception of not having enough tasks for a full-time EA.

Company Culture at Levels

• Transparency: All investor updates and team meetings are public.
• Principle: "Treat people like adults."
• Avoiding gossip by promoting direct communication.
• Recording meetings to foster accountability and prevent gossip.

Tools and Processes

• Loom: Essential for creating scalable content through screen recordings.
• Notion: Used extensively for organizing tasks and processes.
• Friday Forums: Weekly team all-hands meetings to celebrate achievements.
• Async Week: New employees communicate only via audio and video to acclimate to company culture.

Delegation Practices

• Employing EAs to manage tasks like scheduling, communication, and task documentation.
• The importance of feedback loops and task ownership.
• Athena: Agency used for sourcing EAs.
• Difference between EA and Chief of Staff roles.

Onboarding and Company Principles

• Detailed onboarding process lasting a month, emphasizing cultural assimilation.
• Writing memos as an essential aspect of performance and communication.
• Use of personal user guides to understand working styles and preferences.

Personal Management and Philosophy

• News Sobriety: Avoiding news consumption to focus on reading and personal development.
• Minimalism: Pragmatic approach to ownership, reducing physical belongings to essentials.

Reflections on Religion and Theology

• Explored various religious practices and their impacts on community and personal growth.
• Shift in perspective on religion’s role in providing community and values.

Conclusion

• Levels integrates biosensors like continuous glucose monitors to improve metabolic health.
• Always hiring engineers; Sam Corcos’ DMs are open for TypeScript developers.
• Philosophy of integrating compassion into daily interactions.

Closing Remarks

• Acknowledgment of the positive impact of Tim Ferriss' work.
• Encouragement to always be kinder to oneself and others.