Constitution and Operating Model
Part 1: The AI Foundry Constitution
We seek to establish a world-class culture. Following Brigham Young’s admonition to gather up all the good and true principles wherever we find them, we draw inspiration from many places, including:
- BYU Marriott School of Business, Vision, Mission, and Values
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the standard works
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christlike Attributes, Preach My Gospel, Chapter 6
- Amazon, Leadership Principles
- Bridgewater, Original Philosophy
- McKinsey, Purpose, Mission, and Values
- John Wooden, The Pyramid of Success
- Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book II
Our principles
Lists of values often list principles to be maximized such as: be excellent, be truthful, be bold. Such lists are helpful but often suffer from two limitations.
Almost any good quality can be taken to excess. Excellence can overshoot into perfectionism. Boldness can overshoot into recklessness. A simple list of values usually provides no way to acknowledge “it’s possible to do too much of a good thing.”
Two good principles may collide with each other. Speed collides with rigor. Candor collides with kindness. Excellence collides with a deadline.
Fortunately, Aristotle elegantly solved both limitations by using a concept he called the Golden Mean. The character traits we seek often sit between two failure modes: doing too little or doing too much. Courage is not the opposite of cowardice; it sits as a Golden Mean, that is, a weighted average, between cowardice and recklessness. Generosity sits between stinginess and waste.
Aristotle was clear that the Golden Mean is not fixed by a formula but rather found by good judgment, and good judgment comes from reflecting on real experience, either your own or that of others.
Aristotle called these qualities virtues. We call them principles, which is more modern language for the same concept. Each of the fourteen below is written with possible failure modes named.
These principles are aspirational and we may frequently miss the Golden Mean. Yet we keep striving, and over time develop true wisdom and good judgment.
We are successful when we can honestly say this of ourselves:
“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
John Wooden
Our four commitments
Superscript numbers refer to the Scripture References at the end of this document.
1. Seek truth, and use it well1
| Principle | Too little | The golden mean | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Act with integrity2 | Deceitful | States it plainly, including the part that costs something | Self-righteous |
| Be discerning3 | Repeats what was said in confidence. Says the true thing that only wounds | Tells the person who needs it, in the way they can receive it | Calls it discretion when it is avoidance |
| Be courageous4 | Goes along | Challenges, then commits | Fights for ego |
2. Think hard and stay teachable5
| Principle | Too little | The golden mean | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Be curious6 | Accepts the brief as given. Stops at the first answer | Asks the question behind the question | Chases the interesting question instead of the one that matters |
| Be rigorous7 | Accepts what sounds right. Trusts the output without checking the reasoning | Reasons from first principles | Rederives what is already settled. Demands proof past the point the decision needs |
| Choose humility8 | Defends the position instead of testing it. Ties ego to being right | Asks what they missed, then changes | Hedges. Defers when they know better |
| Seek personal improvement9 | Hears the feedback and files it | Asks for the critique, then acts on it | Works on themselves instead of the work. Makes every review about their growth |
3. Do great work10
| Principle | Too little | The golden mean | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Act in faith11 | Waits for certainty. Needs the risk gone before starting | Moves on incomplete information | Skips the preparation and calls it faith |
| Strive for excellence12 | Settles for what passes. Mistakes activity for achievement | Raises the bar, then clears it | Polishes past the point of value. Wields the standard to shame |
| Demonstrate high agency13 | Waits to be told. Explains why it was not theirs | Sees the gap and closes it | Takes what was not theirs to take. Carries it alone instead of raising it |
| Show patience14 | Forces the answer before it is ready. Quits when it gets hard | Presses where it can move, waits where it cannot | Waits and calls it patience. Tolerates what should have been escalated |
4. Make each other better15
| Principle | Too little | The golden mean | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respect others16 | Talks past people. Dismisses the junior voice | Listens before answering | Trades candor for comfort. Plays favorites |
| Forgive quickly17 | Keeps score. Lets it color the next interaction | Says it once, then lets it go | Forgives before anything is named, so the pattern repeats |
| Develop others18 | Keeps what they know. Treats a teammate as a pair of hands | Hands it over and explains the why | Does it for them instead of with them |
When there is no golden mean
Aristotle is explicit that the idea of the golden mean has limits: some things “imply by their names that they are themselves bad,” and of those “it is not possible, then, ever to be right with regard to them.”
Sometimes principles collide
They will. Rigor says check it again; the deadline says ship. Courage says say it now; discernment says not in this room, not in front of these people. Excellence says raise the bar; patience says this is not the week.
Three things can be helpful when collisions occur:
Name the collision out loud. “I think rigor and the deadline are fighting here” is a faster route to a decision than arguing the merits as though only one principle were in play.
Correct against your own pull. Aristotle’s coaching instruction is that aiming straight at the golden mean undershoots, because your own habit is already bending you. Learn which way you personally miss, then overcorrect. “We shall get into the intermediate state by drawing well away from error, as people do in straightening sticks that are bent.”
The red face test. When a situation is genuinely ambiguous, ask: could I explain this decision to a respected leader without being red in the face? If not, do not do it.
Part 2: AI Foundry Operating Model
Flat hierarchy
Client teams operate without hierarchy. A team may be composed of 1 undergrad and 1 MBA, 2 undergrads, or 2 MBAs; in some cases teams may be slightly larger. In all cases, teams are flat with no hierarchy. Every member of the team has equal accountability and equal authority. Degree program, seniority, or AI Foundry leadership role confer no rank inside a team.
What this means in practice:
- Self-organization. Teams align on work streams themselves. They divide work by strength and interest, not by status.
- Equal accountability. The team owns the outcome together. If a deliverable slips or misses the bar, that belongs to everyone on the team.
- Peer feedback. Team members give feedback directly to each other as the first and normal channel.
- Escalation. When an issue cannot be resolved within the team, escalations go through JD and Scott.
- Resetting teams. If a team does not work well together it can be recomposed. This is a normal operating mechanism, not a punishment.
Two courses, two roles
The AI Foundry is a cross-listed class with an undergraduate section (STRAT 490R) and a graduate section (MBA 693R). For cross-listed courses, earning graduate credit is required to carry requirements beyond the undergraduate expectations. In the AI Foundry, that requirement is met by adding an organization leadership role: students in the graduate section help run the AI Foundry itself.
- Students in the undergraduate section build. Their job is excellent client work, similar to Sandbox, except building for clients instead of for yourself.
- Students in the graduate section build plus administer the organization itself. They do the same client work, and in addition take on a leadership role in running the AI Foundry as an organization: operations, client pipeline, quality, recruiting, and culture.
With permission from the faculty advisor, undergraduates are eligible to enroll in the graduate section and be considered for AI Foundry leadership roles.
The two sections with associated roles for those enrolled in the graduate section does not violate the flat hierarchy principle. Inside a client team, an MBA, or an undergraduate enrolled in the graduate section, has no rank over a student enrolled in the undergraduate section. Every team member has equal accountability and authority for the client work they are staffed to. The leadership roles are a different responsibility expected only in the graduate course and do not invoke any kind of authority over a teammate.
The Ask First feedback culture
Everyone is empowered to give feedback to anyone at any time, respectfully and directly. More important, our norm is to regularly ask for feedback. Asking removes the awkwardness of unsolicited criticism, signals humility, and puts each of us in control of our own growth. A practical habit: at the end of a project, a meeting, or a deliverable review, ask at least one person “what is one thing I could have done better?” Feedback flows in every direction, including to the faculty advisor. In general, teams should carve out 15 minutes for mutual feedback once every two weeks.
The most useful version of that question, given how Part 1 is written, is directional: which way did I miss? Too little or too much is a far easier thing for a teammate to answer than a rating, and it is the only kind of answer you can act on.
Amending this document
This document belongs to the whole team. Anyone may propose a change by raising it in a team meeting or with the faculty advisor. We review proposed changes together and revisit the whole document at the start of each semester so it stays alive rather than becoming wall art.
Because this page is the binding version and members sign against it, it changes by amendment rather than by direct edit. When a change is agreed, the faculty advisor updates this page and the date at the top reflects the version in force.
Scripture References
Each superscript number in Part 1 corresponds to an entry below. Each entry names the commitment or principle it belongs to, so this section can be read on its own. These are not proof texts. They are the older statement of the same idea, and in several cases they name both failures at once, which is the whole reason this document is written the way it is.
1. Hold to the truth, and use it well Commitment 1 | Ephesians 4:15 · Doctrine and Covenants 93:24
Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Doctrine and Covenants 93:24 And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
2. Act with integrity Commitment 1 · Hold to the truth, and use it well | Alma 53:20 · Proverbs 11:3 · Doctrine and Covenants 124:15
Alma 53:20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all, they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
Doctrine and Covenants 124:15 And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord.
3. Be discerning Commitment 1 · Hold to the truth, and use it well | Proverbs 11:13 · Proverbs 25:11
Proverbs 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
4. Be courageous Commitment 1 · Hold to the truth, and use it well | Doctrine and Covenants 121:43 · Joshua 1:9
Doctrine and Covenants 121:43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
5. Think hard and stay teachable Commitment 2 | Doctrine and Covenants 88:118
Doctrine and Covenants 88:118 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
6. Be curious Commitment 2 · Think hard and stay teachable | Proverbs 18:15 · 1 Nephi 10:19
Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
1 Nephi 10:19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
7. Be rigorous Commitment 2 · Think hard and stay teachable | Doctrine and Covenants 9:8 · 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Doctrine and Covenants 9:8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
8. Choose humility Commitment 2 · Think hard and stay teachable | Alma 32:16 · Ether 12:27 · Proverbs 11:2
Alma 32:16 Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.
Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
Proverbs 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
9. Seek personal improvement Commitment 2 · Think hard and stay teachable | 2 Nephi 28:30 · Doctrine and Covenants 93:12–13
2 Nephi 28:30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
Doctrine and Covenants 93:12–13 And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;
10. Do great work Commitment 3 | Ecclesiastes 9:10
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
11. Act in faith Commitment 3 · Do great work | Ether 12:6 · James 2:17
Ether 12:6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
12. Strive for excellence Commitment 3 · Do great work | Colossians 3:23 · Doctrine and Covenants 4:2
Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Doctrine and Covenants 4:2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
13. Demonstrate high agency Commitment 3 · Do great work | Doctrine and Covenants 58:26–28
Doctrine and Covenants 58:26–28 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.
14. Show patience Commitment 3 · Do great work | Mosiah 4:27 · Doctrine and Covenants 123:17
Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
15. Make each other better Commitment 4 | Doctrine and Covenants 88:122
Doctrine and Covenants 88:122 Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege.
16. Respect others Commitment 4 · Make each other better | James 1:19 · Acts 10:34
James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
17. Forgive quickly Commitment 4 · Make each other better | Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–10 · Ephesians 4:32
Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–10 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
18. Develop others Commitment 4 · Make each other better | Luke 22:32 · Ephesians 4:12
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: