Speed and Efficiency vs. Patience and the Long-run
By design, everything in a startup is constantly evolving. It can be chaotic and on the early stage that produces interesting and creative results. But the constant state of chaos will eventually become disruptive for its long-term success posing one roadblock after another.
Setting simple guiding rules — be it in decision-making, interacting with customers or even house rules — is vital for the startup’s future.
The question is how do you identify and introduce those rules?
Traditionally, the rules are brought to groups from their superior, who is not always 100% connected to the day-to-day life of employees.
We all have experienced the results of that: the frustration from having to do something that is neither efficient nor enjoyable. It interrupts your workflow, puts you in a box of limitations, and ultimately destroys your moral.
Is there another way?
If a startup is an evolving creature, then it is possible that the rules or rather routines and behaviors will just emerge naturally and the team having a sense of ownership will keep to them. The task of an aspiring leader is to be patient enough to let it happen.
You start by bringing together people and profiles with unique capabilities to spark the creativity between them. To capture the most value from it, you cannot simply set limits for them, introduce discipline or set strict deadlines. The team has to go through their own “trial and error” journey to define what are the constants in their ever-changing environment.
If you want to learn more about Simple Rules I recommend a Google Talk by Kathleen Eisenhardt: “Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World”.
