Mirror / Telescope / Hammer
Look inward, look outward, then act -- in that order, always.
The Core Idea
This is the organizing framework behind every session I run and every tool I've built: Mirror, then Telescope, then Hammer — in that order, always. Look inward. Look outward. Then act. Most PMs skip the first two and go straight to execution. That's why projects drift: the plan was built fast, on assumptions nobody checked, from one point of view.
How It Works
Three modes, each with its own question:
- Mirror — look inward. "What am I assuming here that I haven't verified?" Surfaces the gaps in your own thinking before you build on them.
- Telescope — look outward. "What am I not seeing from where I sit?" Expands past your default view — how will the room actually react to what you're about to propose?
- Hammer — act. "Now that I can see clearly, what do I build?" Turns the clarity from Mirror and Telescope into the deliverable, decision, or conversation.
The rule: never reach for the Hammer before Mirror and Telescope have done their work.
| Shallow Mirror + Shallow Telescope | Deep Mirror + Deep Telescope | |
|---|---|---|
| Result | Fast execution, on the wrong thing | Slower start, far fewer course corrections |
| Where it shows up | Assumptions surface as expensive conflicts in month three | Assumptions get tested in week one, before anything's built on them |
Most PM failure traces back to a first-week assumption nobody pressure-tested, surfacing three months later as a very expensive surprise. MTH is the practice of catching it before that.
In Practice
Mirror and Telescope aren't a one-time step — they're a habit you build, and it's the first thing I teach in every level of training. It's also the reason I built Lens: Lens is Mirror and Telescope as a running system, so the discipline doesn't depend on remembering to apply it.