The CORE Identity Strategy Alignment
by Evan LaPointe • Founder at CORE Sciences
A four-time founder (including Satellite, acquired by Adobe) turned neuroscience educator. He runs CORE Sciences to teach companies how to bridge the gap between 'what science knows' and 'what business does' to improve decision-making and team dynamics.
🎙️ Episode Context
Evan LaPointe bridges the gap between neuroscience and product management, arguing that most business dysfunction arises because we ignore how human brains actually operate. He breaks down the brain's safety, reward, and purpose systems, and introduces frameworks for navigating personality differences (specifically Openness vs. Conscientiousness) in strategy work. The episode offers deep dives into fixing broken professional relationships, structuring meetings to avoid waste, and choosing specific 'characters' to influence stakeholders effectively.
Problem It Solves
Resolves friction between 'Visionary' types and 'Execution' types during strategy planning, preventing high-conscientiousness employees from shutting down innovative ideas prematurely.
Framework Overview
A method for navigating the tension between the 'Openness' trait (comfort with abstraction/vision) and the 'Conscientiousness' trait (desire for efficiency/order). It frames this not as a conflict of ideas, but a conflict of neural processing.
🧠 Framework Structure
Self-Diagnosis: Identify if you are L...
Vulnerability: Explicitly state your ...
Translation: Use 'Reverse Engineering...
Situational Awareness: For the skepti...
When to Use
During annual planning, vision sprints, or when a PM is pitching a 'moonshot' to engineering leads or conservative stakeholders.
Common Mistakes
Allowing a high-conscientiousness person to kill an idea in its 'infancy' by demanding ROI or efficiency metrics before the idea has matured.
Real World Example
Lenny identifying himself as low openness/high conscientiousness and realizing why he struggles when designers propose massive, abstract re-designs.
If you are low in openness... as soon as things get abstract, not only are you like, 'I don't like this,' you have a much more visceral negative response... you are now going into your pain cave.
— Evan LaPointe