My 2022 Game-Changer: The Rule of Two

Throughout 2022 I have been practicing something I refer to as “The Rule of Two.” “The Rule of Two” means that for anything new to begin, at least TWO people have to agree to be responsible for seeing it through.

In other words, this year, before I started something new, I found at least one other person to do it with me. And in my work with organizations, it meant that two people had to agree to be responsible for a new idea before it became an official project or next step for the group.

The “Rule of Two” brought connection, creativity, productivity, accomplishment and joy to my life in such transformative ways.

The Background:

Early in 2022, I was planning a two-day annual retreat for an organization I’m a part of. The organization was going through a disorientating leadership transition and had lost a lot of steam in 2021 (like many organizations). As a result, I became the default retreat planner (something that happens more frequently to women and/or people of color). My mighty charge as the retreat planner was to design a process to help us get ‘back on track’ in the coming year. With the exception of some initial input from collaborators, I found myself working alone.

At first it was thrilling to have full autonomy over designing the retreat. But as the retreat approached, I felt overwhelmed by all the decisions I was making on my own for the whole organization. I was stuck, losing motivation, and procrastinating. I knew I needed help.

I decided to call one of my collaborators, and asked for their assistance with identifying low-lift roles – everything from DJs to breakout group facilitators to a chat “hyper” to a post-retreat social host – that we could easily ask other collaborators to step up for during the retreat. Within an hour, the huge tasks I had become paralyzed by felt manageable and owned collectively. It’s success and failure was in longer in my hands alone!

With all the collaborators unique contributions, the retreat was a glowing success! You could feel the organization re-energizing itself throughout the retreat. I especially loved how everyone brought creativity to their roles – like with the “Bocci & Cookies” social and the killer Spotify playlist I listened to for weeks.

Feeling inspired by our recent collaborative experience and wanting to prevent my earlier retreat planning woes, I spontaneously slipped in a little statement into our final proposal: “All decision making is shared, with a minimum of two people involved.

This one line, the birth of the “Rule of Two”, changed EVERYTHING.

At our first monthly meeting after the retreat, we began practicing “The Rule of Two” for proposing new projects and delegating group tasks. Within two-months our organization went from struggling to do much anything, to having 20+ active collaborators, each actively contributing in meaningful and creative ways to the organization.

The Benefits of “The Rule of Two”:

In the short term, “The Rule of Two”:

Helps assess and builds enthusiasm for a new idea. If two people are willing to take it on, then it likely means there’s energy to do something new. But if not, then it’s probably not time to do it.

Helps determines the groups capacity to take on additional work. If at least two people say YES to a new project, that means there are resources and capacity to do new things. But if no one wants to take on something new, it may mean the group’s plate is already full.

Gets people off the sidelines by providing frequent, low-barrier opportunities for people to step into leadership roles. This is especially helpful for newer people who can partner on a project with someone who has more experience.

Helps assess alignment with the group’s larger vision and/or among other priorities. In the process of determining the groups’ capacity to take on another task, the group is simultaneously assessing how this projects fits into a larger vision and if it’s worth allocating its resources to pursue this new idea.

Builds accountability around getting started on a new idea. When two people become responsible for getting something new started, it is less likely the new idea falls to the bottom of a “to do” list, and more likely that at least one person will reach out to set up that kick-off conversation.

In the long term, “The Rule of Two”:

Builds long-term commitment to seeing the project through. Once two people get a new idea started, they become more attached to the project and committed to continuing to work on it. They also build a deeper understanding of the project, which makes them uniquely qualified to continue to work on it.

Generates stronger and more creative projects/initiatives because people are working collaboratively to brainstorm ideas, make decisions, and develop strategies. It also brings twice the capacity, and twice the diversity of experiences and perspectives to a project.

Makes projects more fun and enjoyable because people are working together, rather than in isolation. It can build stronger relationships, encourage meaningful connection, and can simply be more fun!

Prevents “solo superstar” projects. We all know those projects where one person thinks it’s a great idea, does a ton of work, and then expects buy-in from everyone. These mis-scaled or misaligned projects are less likely to occur from the get go and/or will receive better guidance from the group on relevant ways to move forward.

Facilitates a more equitable distribution of responsibilities. When the group decides together which collaborators have the capacity to take on a new project, it prevents the regular “default” collaborators (i.e. often women and/or people of color) from becoming responsible for taking the new idea on.

Builds trust within a group. Once at least two people become accountable for the project, the group signals that they trust them to do the work well.

Is efficient because it limits the amount of time the larger needs to spend working through smaller details of a new idea. It is the responsibility of those two people to do the work on behalf of the larger group, and only bring back what is necessary to the whole group.

How to implement the “Rule of Two” in your organization:

Part of the magic of the “Rule of Two” is how simple it is to implement.

When proposing a new project or assigning who is responsible for next steps at your next committee, staff, board, work group and/or collaborative meeting, make sure at least two people from the group agree to take on the project/task . If two people do not agree to take the task on, then table the task for the time being, or perhaps decide to lay the idea to rest (this can feel challenging, but trust me, it’s worth it!).

I hope you’ll be as blown away by the energy, creativity, impact, and joy “The Rule of Two” will bring to your organization as it brought to my life and organizations in 2022.

If you try the “Rule of Two,” let me know how it goes in the comments!