Planks & Pilings

Ourdefault at Pier is to move fast, and it is a significant reason we win deals.So it is important that we deliberately add friction to ensure our decisionsare thoughtful and our work is up to the highest standards. One recent example:Jonathan, our head of operations, suggested a cooling-off step before wepublish reporting or newsletters. The pause is brief, sometimes only eighthours, but it creates room for fresh thinking and catches details that a quickreview might miss.

We use a similar mindset in our investment committee. While no one is formallyassigned as a devil’s advocate, we routinely ask each deal lead, “What is a reason someone could give forwhy we shouldn’t do this deal?” This simple question forces a lookat potential blind spots and strengthens the decision.

A short, intentional pause, whether in publishing or in investment discussions,adds just enough friction to make our work sharper and our choices stronger.

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- Jillian