According to the Moonshot mindset, if you come up with an idea that is guaranteed to succeed, you will be… fired!
That’s because any idea that is guaranteed to succeed is not RADICAL enough to make a difference. And that is the mindset that Astro Teller tries to inculcate in his teams.
Astro is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and inventor. He serves as Captain of Moonshots at X, Alphabet's Moonshot Factory, where he oversees audacious, high-impact technology projects. He is the writer of the novels Exegesis and Among These Savage Thoughts. He has also written a non-fiction book called Sacred Cows. He joins Matt Abrahams on Think Fast Talk Smart to tell you how there’s so much more to learn from your mistakes than from your successes.
In this episode, Matt and Astro discuss:
• What moonshot thinking is and why it is geared towards failure.
• How to enter a mindset centered on humility and failure.
• How to capture the learnings so that you don’t repeat your mistakes.
• Examples of moonshot projects that failed… and then succeeded!
• The impact of storytelling when pitching a moonshot idea
The real success of this story is Astro Teller’s storytelling advice, especially his thoughts on the Architecture of Understanding concept!
Key Quotes
• “You learn something when you have a model about the world, and then in some way you get some data that tells you you are wrong. You learn nothing when you're right. At best, you deepen grooves in your brain.” - Astro Teller (05:30)
• “At least when I say storytelling, I don't primarily mean marketing or just getting someone excited. I need from you an architecture of understanding. Where are we trying to go? What makes us think we might be able to get from where we are to there? And how should we interpret things along the way?” - Astro Teller (19:10)
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:33 Defining a Moonshot
03:35 Building a Learning Mindset
06:15 Learning vs. Productivity
07:50 Sharing Learning Across Teams
10:04 Rewarding Habits, Not Outcomes
12:32 Destigmatizing Failure
15:12 Moonshots in Action
18:51 Storytelling for Understanding
20:11 Using Analogies Effectively
22:15 Fostering Creativity Through Play
25:20 Hiring for a Moonshot Culture
27:57 The Moonshot Podcast
29:44 The Final Three Questions
34:19 Conclusion
Relevant Links:
Astro Teller: https://www.fastersmarter.io/guests/astro-teller/
Astro’s Book, Sacred Cows: https://www.fastersmarter.io/sacred-cows
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Matt Abrahams on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams//maabrahams)