The Twelve
Twelve rules
These are the rules Field School will not treat as optional. The courses and the Saturday email use them.
Everything Is Made Up
People wrote the rules. God wrote the world. Do not treat a policy like gravity, or gravity like a policy.
You Own Your Response
The freeze gets a vote. It does not get the last word. The next move is yours.
Reality over hope
The world keeps its own books. Look first. Then interpret. Hope does not close a deal.
Ego Destroys Kingdoms
Certainty about yourself is the blindness you cannot see. Stay a student on purpose, especially when you are winning.
Working In vs. Working On
Work inside the system. Also step out long enough to see what it is for.
No Game Is Played on Neutral Ground
Name the players and what each is rewarded for before the next move.
Nothing Exists in Isolation
Name the kind of system you are in before you act.
Information Must Be Interpreted, Not Just Received
People rarely say exactly what they mean. How they act is data. Notice, guess carefully, then ask. Listen under the words.
People Move When Value Outweighs Risk
People move when the good looks bigger than the scare. Talk about the whole pile, not only the price.
You Cannot Reason From What You Do Not Understand
A recommendation is only as strong as the model under it.
To Advise Is to Share in the Decision
A recommendation is a judgment someone may act on. Do not just hand over facts. Help them know what to do.
Read the room
People show the defense they use to feel safe, not who they are. Read the fear under the behavior. Use it for compassion, not as a tool.