The power of a duo

Hello, it's Nicolas! It's been over three years since I started working with Tom. Three years of collaboration across various projects where we've accomplished many things, but also made a few mistakes. This journey has allowed us to learn, grow, and move forward. But above all, we've learned how to work as a duo.

Through this article, I'd like to share our philosophy for working together and the benefits it brings us.

Why work as a duo?

As the excellent Simon Sinek would say: Always start with why. So let's start by asking why it's more interesting to work as a duo rather than alone.

• Direct communication: Communication is easy and direct, allowing us to quickly exchange ideas and get feedback on various points.
• Deeper understanding: Each of us brings our own experience and expertise, which sometimes overlap and sometimes complement each other. This helps us better understand each other and the subject.
• Shared ownership: We both participate in all projects. This allows us to easily transfer knowledge and be more responsive to our clients' needs.

The Pong Effect

I think everyone knows one of the first video games in history: Pong. For those who don't remember, let me refresh your memory: It's a one-on-one game where each player controls a white "paddle" that they can move up and down to defend their side. The goal is to prevent the ball (which moves between the two sides) from reaching your side, while sending it to the opponent's side (who will also do their best to defend).

But why am I talking about Pong? Well, because it's a bit like what happens when we discuss an idea together. When one of us presents an idea (like the ball moving in the center), it gets analysed, dissected, and turned around to retain only the important and interesting parts. This process is similar to the Pong ball moving back and forth between the two bars.

How to work as a duo?

Now that we've talked about why to work as a duo, let's look at how to work as a duo.

To be honest, we've explored several organisations and methods. We've tried various tools, from simple Excel sheets to overly complex Notion setups.
After all these attempts, we've returned to the basics: the Kanban.

If you're not familiar with Kanban, I highly recommend looking into it. It's very interesting and easily applicable in many fields. To explain it simply, it's a board with three columns: "to-do", "in progress", and "done". You then have cards, with each card containing a single task that requires only one to three actions to achieve.

Let's take an example to explain how it works: you need to do the dishes. So you have a card labeled "Do the dishes" in the "to-do" column. Doing the dishes requires only one action to achieve. Just before starting, you move the card from the "to-do" column to the "in progress" column. Once you're done, you can move the card from the "in progress" column to the "done" column. And that's it.

We have a Kanban board for each project, and each of us has only one task in the "in progress" column. This ensures that we don't work on the same task simultaneously, as this has happened in the past. Additionally, we must complete the current task before starting a new one.

Getting things done is the engine of more.

Adding new people to the organisation

Now that we're used to working together and have an effective method that helps us move forward, why not add new people to the organisation to go even faster?
Well, it's not as simple as that.

The marginal cost of adding a person

The marginal cost is a term often used by financiers, referring to the cost for an additional unit. But beyond finances, adding a person to a small organisation has a real cost, which is far from negligible.

Adding a person to a team increases the number of interactions within the team. It also adds a new perspective to discussions, which is enriching but significantly increases the duration of exchanges (and increases their number). Additionally, you need to guide, mentor, and train this person on new work methods and tools.

All these indirect costs must be considered before adding a person to a team, as it can add friction to the otherwise well-oiled machinery of the team.

Talent density

The principle of talent density comes from the book No Rules Rules. The more a team is composed of talented individuals, the higher the talent density will be. It's important to have a high talent density because each additional person has a cost, as we've seen. If this person is less talented, they will lower the team's talent density. And thus, on a per-unit basis, the team will be less effective.
We aim to maximise our talents while minimising the number of people.

Moreover, the higher the team's talent density, the harder it will be to find someone who won't lower this concentration. And it will be even harder to find someone who can increase this talent concentration.

To my knowledge, there isn't a concrete method to measure this talent density. What's important to remember is the philosophy associated with it: it's better to surround yourself with a few talented people rather than many less experienced individuals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many positive aspects to working as a team. However, it's important to be mindful of the marginal cost of adding a new person to the team and to carefully consider the talent density of your team. But if the collaborators can fully work together, it's a winning bet.

Alone we go faster, but together we go further, so don't hesitate to join us on our adventures by subscribing to the newsletter!