Earlier thoughts · Rachel McBride

← Earlier thoughts

Observation: Copying your best performer doesn't scale. Their workflow isn't transferable, the pattern underneath it is

Field Notes · 1 min

Earlier thinking. Written in early-to-mid 2026, when my work centred on AI and workflow redesign. I've kept it for the record. It predates my current frames. For where I am now, start with Working frames.

Many leaders struggle to scale how they work because they attempt to copy visible artefacts, AI tools, templates, and workflows, rather than the underlying thinking that makes those artefacts effective.

The result is predictable. Speed is optimised before clarity. Delivery crowds out sense-making. What works for one individual collapses when applied across a team.

The failure is not a lack of tools. It’s the absence of a portable way of thinking that holds under real operating conditions.

A similar dynamic appears in Leverage comes from removing friction, not adding capability.