Discover your super users early. What they say should be gold, all other input is second tier.
I know, I know. You’re going to say this is just another continuation of the last two rules. Not true! This rule is about understanding who is on your side and who isn’t. We’re now talking marketing!
Systems spread more through word of mouth than through anything you can do by yourself. If my peers all start using a new system and tell me about it I’m highly likely to try it. Similarly, there is a set of people that if they make the recommendation I may avoid it like the plague.
Your super users are the ones that you want to go out and rave about everything you are doing. You want them to feel engaged and part of the process. Feel free to bend some of the other rules if it will make one of your super users more engaged.
Don’t have more than a handful though. Think of this as a pyramid structure. You and your development team are the top driving shape and strategy. Your super users come next and form the initial base. From there they will go out and recruit bigger, broader bases to continue to grow from. Your super users can also change. Think of them as your 1% – if you get better users you may substitute among your team to keep as strong a structure as possible.