As 2019 draws to a close, I need to share this idea. It’s not originally mine, I’ve stolen it from the brilliant founder Jeff Lawson of Twilio.
Check out this hilarious image from the Twilio employee handbook (via Firstround Capital). It beautifully illustrates the core idea in their company values:
For Lawson, Draw the Owl means “there’s no instruction book - it’s ours to draw. Figure it out, ship it, and iterate.” Share this one with your team. When you’re deciding who to hire and promote… look for people who aren’t afraid to "draw the owl.”
If you want to learn more about the culture Jeff Lawson has built at Twilio, and the hard part, making it stick, I recommend this excellent blog post.