Compass Call Archive
Below you’ll find the full archive of past Compass Calls, our monthly guide featuring one True North principal to align your focus, Obstacles Ahead to watch out for, Waypoints to keep you moving, and a Map Check to stay grounded.
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The Mental Model Arsenal
Build a toolkit of mental models to navigate complex problems effectively. Avoid common pitfalls like relying on a single model, failing to apply knowledge, and overcomplicating simple issues. Practice three key models: Inversion to identify failure modes, Second-Order Thinking to anticipate consequences, and Circle of Competence to recognize limits of knowledge. Regularly check your automatic thinking patterns and strive to apply these models in decision-making to enhance your problem-solving capabilities
Newsletter date: September 20, 2025
Strategic Withdrawal
Strategic withdrawal involves stepping back from low-leverage pursuits to conserve energy and resources for more impactful endeavors. Key obstacles include the glorification of grit, sunk cost blindness, fear of appearing weak, ambiguity in measuring returns, and the risk of premature withdrawal. To navigate this, assess the cost-benefit of projects, reposition efforts with clear narratives, and track resource allocation to ensure strategic choices lead to greater returns. Reflect on commitments that demand more than they provide and consider what opportunities arise from letting go.
Newsletter date: November 22, 2025
The Power of Strategic Constraint
Embrace strategic constraints to enhance focus and creativity by imposing limits like time and budget. Avoid the trap of unlimited flexibility that leads to stagnation. Time-box projects into three focused sessions to prioritize effectively and eliminate distractions. Monitor tasks paused to reclaim clarity and assess the impact of self-imposed guardrails on productivity.
Newsletter date: August 21, 2025
The Optionality Engine
Create more choices before you need them by building optionality engines that generate multiple paths to success. Avoid single point of failure thinking, the certainty trap, and resource hoarding. Focus on three types of optionality engines: relationship multipliers, skill portfolios, and value creation labs. Regularly audit your dependencies and actively build systems that create future choices to enhance your opportunities.
Newsletter date: October 20, 2025
The Power of Polarities
High performance requires balancing polarities like growth and grounding, exertion and restoration. Avoid pitfalls such as over-correction and false stability by mapping your poles, timeboxing activities, and tracking consistency. Regular reflection and small adjustments can enhance mastery and sustainability.
Newsletter date: July 20, 2025