Huggy Rao Books

Every organization that achieves pockets of success eventually faces the scaling dilemma—the tension between wanting more and preserving what already works. As we looked deeper into the stories of companies and institutions, we found leaders torn between two competing impulses: expanding their reach...

From Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less

When we examined organizations that successfully scaled excellence, we discovered two dominant philosophies. We called them 'Catholicism' and 'Buddhism'—a metaphor to describe how leaders think about replication and adaptation. The 'Catholic' mindset demands standardization: one true way, consistent...

From Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less

The word ‘friction’ evokes frustration: it’s what makes simple things hard. Yet that reaction, while human, misses a vital truth. Without friction, there’s chaos — no grip, no traction, no form. In an organizational context, friction is simply resistance within systems of work. It shows up as rules,...

From The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder

Before you can fix friction, you must see it. Yet leaders often operate blind, trapped inside systems they’ve created. We developed friction audits precisely to counter that blindness. These audits are not about assigning blame; they’re about illuminating where work slows down and why. When we wal...

From The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder