Hate Waste

Leaders find ways to do more with less. We save costs rather than simply cut them. We do not skimp on a penny today if that will cost us a dollar tomorrow.

Back to the universal principles

Calibration

Under, just right, over.

Situation	Under	Just Right	Over
A project is slipping	Asks for more people before looking at scope or reuse. Headcount is the first lever.	Trims what this cycle does not need and reuses what already works. Adds help only when the remaining work is more than the current team can finish, and new people can start in time.	Turns down every extra person to keep the team small. The same few people absorb the slip, they stay late, and the date still moves.
Choosing a vendor	Takes the first quote. Does not check what the team can do itself or whether a cheaper option covers the need.	Compares a short list against the real need, including doing the work in house. Pays more only when the cheap path will create rework or a lock-in later.	Takes the lowest bid even when the vendor cannot do the job. The team spends the following week fixing or replacing what came back.
Budget left at year end	Spends the remainder so next year's number does not shrink. Buys things the team does not need this quarter.	Returns what will not be used well. Spends only on things that would have been bought anyway, and writes down what next year actually needs.	Holds back spend that is already justified, to look careful. Materials or licenses arrive late, and the next month starts with a scramble.
Another team already built something close	Starts from scratch because the existing thing is not a perfect fit. The week goes into rebuilding what already shipped.	Adapts the existing work where it fits, and builds only the gap. Accepts a few rough edges instead of a second system to maintain.	Forces the old thing onto a problem it cannot serve. People spend more time fighting the mismatch than a small new build would have taken.
Scoping this week's slice	Puts the full vision into the first cut. The week fills with extras no one needed this cycle.	Ships the smallest version that can be used and judged, and parks the rest. Puts leftover time into the one piece that would be expensive to change later.	Cuts so far that the result cannot be used or tested. The same slice has to be rebuilt the following week.
A teammate needs a small purchase	Buys without checking whether a shared option already exists. Duplicate kits and licenses collect on desks.	Checks what the team already has, then buys the cheapest thing that will hold up for the job. Does not send people hunting for a free workaround that eats the afternoon.	Makes people use a broken spare or a clumsy free tool. The task takes the rest of the day, and the savings are gone.
Hiring a contractor for a short job	Brings in outside help for work the team could finish with a small scope cut. The invoice covers hours that were never scarce.	Uses a contractor when the skill is missing and the deadline is real. Keeps the scope of work tight so the team still owns the result and does not pay for idle time.	Refuses outside help to avoid the fee. The only person who can do the work is already booked, so the launch waits.
An order will miss the date	Pays rush fees on every slip without checking whether the original day still matters. Rush shipping becomes the default.	Expedites only when a miss is real and costly. For the rest, resets the date and stays on the standard path.	Refuses every rush charge. A customer who needed that day is left waiting, and the team spends the next week on recovery.

Further reading

Sources and essays on this principle.

Coupang Leadership Principles
The published wording of this principle.
coupang.jobs