Move Fast and Fix Things - by Frances Frei & Anne Morriss (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Speed has gotten a bad name in business, much of it deserved. When Meta (Facebook) made "Move fast and break things" its motto-and then proceeded to deliver on it-they fueled a cynical but widely accepted assumption that a certain amount of wreckage is the price we must pay for inventing the future. Leadership experts Frances Frei and Anne Morriss argue that this belief is seriously wrongheaded-and that it keeps leaders from achieving excellence. Helping companies solve their toughest problems over the past decade, the authors have learned that the trade-off between speed and excellence is false. The best change leaders, according to Frei and Morriss, solve hard problems with fierce urgency while making their organizations-employees, customers, and shareholders-even stronger. They move fast and fix things. Based on their work with Uber, Riot Games, WeWork, and other fast-moving companies, Frei and Morriss reinvent the playbook for leading change. With trust as the foundation for a "move fast and fix things" approach, the authors reveal the five practices that the most effective leaders use to build trust, accelerate the pace of change, and improve their organizations: Identify the right problem to solve; run small experiments before scaling solutions; build the case for change while driving it; empower the organization; and champion difference. With chapters that provide a "one-week plan," Frei and Morriss show how to execute these five priorities on a fast cycle time of "one per day." By the end of the week, you won't just have a road map for solving your company's toughest problems-you'll already be well on your way, transforming your company at an exhilarating speed"--

Book Synopsis

Bestselling authors and cohosts of the TED podcast Fixable, Frances Frei and Anne Morriss reinvent the playbook for how to lead change-with a radical approach that moves fast, builds trust, and accelerates excellence.

Speed has gotten a bad name in business, much of it deserved. When Facebook made "Move fast and break things" an informal company motto, it fueled a widely held belief that we can either make progress or take care of people, one or the other. A certain amount of wreckage is the price we have to pay for inventing the future.

Leadership experts Frances Frei and Anne Morriss argue that this belief is deeply flawed--and that it keeps you from building a great company. Helping executives and entrepreneurs solve their toughest problems over the past decade, Frei and Morriss learned that the trade-off between speed and excellence is false. The best change leaders solve hard problems with fierce urgency while making their organizations--employees, customers, and shareholders--even stronger. They move fast and fix things.

Based on their work with fast-moving companies such as Uber, Riot Games, and ServiceNow, Frei and Morriss reveal the five essential steps to moving fast and fixing things. You'll learn to:

• Identify the real problem holding you back
• Build and rebuild trust in your company
• Create a culture where everyone can thrive
• Communicate powerfully as a leader
• Go fast by empowering your team

With a one-week plan to fix your problems on a fast cycle time of one step per "day," this book is your guide to maximizing impact and reinventing your approach to change. By the end of the week, you won't just have a road map for solving your company's toughest problems--you'll already be well on your way, improving your company at exhilarating speed.

Review Quotes

Named one of "10 Audiobooks That Bring Out Your Fearless Inner Leader" by Inc. magazine

"simple, elegant, and applicable" - TD magazine (Association for Talent Development)

Named one of the Ten Best Business Books of 2023 by Forbes

Named one of the Top Leadership and Strategy Books of 2023 by Porchlight Books

"Publishers release books on change management topics every year. Move Fast & Fix Things stands out for being concise, practical, comprehensive and optimistic. Frei and Morriss enliven the material by speaking to the reader directly and including wit and humor throughout the book." -- The CEO Magazine

"Move Fast & Fix Things is one of those gems in the business/leadership category that has something for everyone who wants an approach to discovering and solving office problems. It is also an enjoyable read!" -- Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Advance Praise for Move Fast and Fix Things:

"Frances Frei and Anne Morriss are the real deal and offer a fresh, new take on the most important leadership challenges of our time: making big change happen, building organizations where everyone can rise, and solving hard problems when the clock is ticking . . . loudly." -- Tyra Banks, supermodel turned entrepreneur; founder, SMiZE & DREAM

"This hands-on playbook shows readers how to accelerate change and transform organizations while also nurturing a culture of trust, inclusivity, and collaborative problem-solving. It's an essential resource for any leader looking for the inspiration and tools to lead their team to new levels of excellence." -- Kathleen Hogan, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Microsoft

"In Move Fast & Fix Things, Frei and Morriss have given us a masterpiece on trust, leadership, and business. This is required reading for anyone who wants to build audacious, high-performance cultures." -- Bill McDermott, Chairman and CEO, ServiceNow

"Speed wins, but only if you pair it with strategy, trust, and respect for everyone on the court. Frei and Morriss have generously shared the road map for how to move fast while also excelling as teams and organizations." -- Nadia Rawlinson, Operating Chairman, Chicago Sky (WNBA)

"Move Fast & Fix Things invites us into a conversation all leaders should be having: how to create the conditions where people can truly, sustainably thrive." -- Becky Schmitt, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, PepsiCo

"Frances Frei and Anne Morriss have produced a fun, super-practical, step-by-step guide to leading lasting change at speed." -- Hubert Joly, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School; former Chairman and CEO, Best Buy; and author, The Heart of Business

"With Move Fast & Fix Things, Frei and Morriss have done the unthinkable: they've written a book that will make you look forward to Mondays." -- Meena Harris, founder and CEO, Phenomenal Media

"The Frei/Morriss team has delivered again! Move Fast & Fix Things is a remarkable, insightful book that will help you accelerate change inside your organization while simultaneously building trust and unleashing the potential of your people. I highly recommend this leadership masterpiece." -- Stephen M. R. Covey, bestselling author, The Speed of Trust

"Frei and Morriss have rewritten the playbook for change. Toss out The 8 Steps, forget the 7-S Framework, and get ready to discover the fastest path to renewing your organization. With a clear plan for how to spend your Monday through Friday, they make it easy to keep it all straight. But what matters most is

About the Author

Frances Frei is a professor at Harvard Business School. She served as Uber's first Senior Vice President of Leadership and Strategy, helping the company navigate its crisis in leadership and culture. Frei regularly works with companies embarking on large-scale organizational transformation. Her TED talk on the topic of building trust has had over six million views.

Anne Morriss is an entrepreneur, leadership coach, and founder of the Leadership Consortium, a first-of-its-kind leadership accelerator that works to help emerging leaders thrive. Her collaborators have ranged from early-stage tech founders to Fortune 50 executives to public-sector leaders building national competitiveness.

Frei and Morriss are coauthors of the bestselling books Uncommon Service and Unleashed and cohosts of the TED podcast Fixable, which helps listeners solve their toughest work problems. They have been recognized by Thinkers50 as among the world's most influential business thinkers.

Connect with Frances Frei on LinkedIn and Twitter and at hbs.edu and TED. Connect with Anne Morriss at on LinkedIn and Twitter and at Thinkers50.com.