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Keith Rabois: Your Company Has Barrels and Ammunition. Most Founders Can Not Tell the Difference.

By Keith Rabois · Leadership · 1 min read

Most companies hire a lot of people and expect output to increase. It does not. Here is why.

Key Points

Barrels are people who can take an idea from concept to shipping — they are rare
Ammunition is everyone else — they need a barrel to be effective
The number of barrels in your company determines your output, not headcount

You can only do as many things simultaneously as you have barrels.

The Hiring Trap

Companies get into hiring mode and start adding people. They expect output to scale linearly.

It does not. Ten more people does not mean ten more things get done.

Rabois explains why with one concept: barrels and ammunition.

The most important thing is to edit the team. Maximize the probability for success.

What Is a Barrel

A barrel is someone who can take a vague idea and ship it. Start to finish. No hand-holding.

They are rare. Maybe 1 in 20 hires. You can only do as many things as you have barrels.

Everyone else is ammunition. They are useful — but only when aimed by a barrel.

The number of barrels determines your velocity. Not the number of people.

Find Your Barrels

Rabois says the CEO job is to identify barrels and give them scope.

When you find one, expand their responsibility until they break. That is how you learn their ceiling.

Most founders spend all their time hiring ammunition. The great ones hunt for barrels.