startups

Recognize Failure and Avoid the Sunk Cost Fallacy:
There's no shame in shooting for the moon and missing

Failing fast is one of the most overworked business tropes. The underlying motivation is for companies to take big risks with immense potential payoffs. To fail fast, the company must put sensors in place to recognize early if the risky move is panning out and worth continuing.  In comparative mythology, the hero’s journey requires the protagonist to face and overcome adversity before they become worthy of winning. Biographers of business… Read More »Recognize Failure and Avoid the Sunk Cost Fallacy:
There's no shame in shooting for the moon and missing

Firefighters putting out an uncontrolled blaze in a building

Containing and Eliminating Business Fires:
Unexpected catastrophes kill companies

Startups are motivated by youthful energy, fueled by adrenaline, and supplemented by caffeine. The frenetic pace of a startup cannot be sustained forever.  If a company remains a startup too long, it will either burn through its cash or the original team will become too long in the tooth to muster the same enthusiasm that powered its early victories. Or both.  Companies that successfully navigate the transition from a startup… Read More »Containing and Eliminating Business Fires:
Unexpected catastrophes kill companies

A flight of craft beer

The Commonality of Craft Brewing and Software Development:
The benefits of small-batch brewing and small-batch coding

Imagine a small craft brewery that produces award-winning India Pale Ales (IPAs) and stouts. The brewery is acquired by a national brand determined to make the beer available countrywide.  Somehow, whatever gave the beer its uniqueness in small batches cannot be replicated on a large scale, and it doesn’t taste as good as before. It may be a matter of micromanaging small-batch brewing along the way. For example, the brewmaster… Read More »The Commonality of Craft Brewing and Software Development:
The benefits of small-batch brewing and small-batch coding

10 Sins of the Founders:
Fire, Aim, Ready

Regardless of the approach, an entrepreneur’s initial idea is invariably incorrect. Since the initial attempt is bound to fail, the audacious ones have the right idea to quickly release products without wasting time over-analyzing. They toss s*%@ against a wall and see if it sticks. Chemistry ultimately determines the success or failure of a startup. Do the founder and executive team possess chutzpah and humility in equal measures? If so,… Read More »10 Sins of the Founders:
Fire, Aim, Ready

Management Lessons from Honest Abe

Our forefathers have plenty of sound advice that’s easily applied to business. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2005 historical tome, “Team of Rivals” is about Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. She centers her narrative around Lincoln’s decision to bring his three vanquished presidential competitors (William Henry Seward, Salmon Chase, and Edward Bates) and others who opposed him into his Cabinet. History is rife with lessons applicable to all walks of life but, sadly, it’s… Read More »Management Lessons from Honest Abe

Innovate Like Hell During Coronavirus Downtime

Travel is curtailed. Conferences are cancelled. Employees are working from home. The sales process has stalled. What will happen when the Coronavirus pandemic’s grip on the world eases? Companies that aggressively move forward during a slowdown will eclipse competitors and emerge with newfound vigor. In her excellent March 13, 2020 Washington Post Retropolis history blog post, Staff Writer Gillian Brockell recounts how college student Isaac Newton used his “Social Distancing”… Read More »Innovate Like Hell During Coronavirus Downtime

Six Sensible Ways for Employers to Support Working From Home During Coronavirus and Beyond

Coronavirus panic is sweeping the country. Companies that already have a remote working culture opine that, eventually, all companies will be working remotely. Meanwhile, companies that frown upon teleworking scramble to prepare for the time, which may arrive sooner than later, when employees are ordered to work from home. How can a company that doesn’t have a remote culture pivot to protect employees against a highly contagious virus for which… Read More »Six Sensible Ways for Employers to Support Working From Home During Coronavirus and Beyond

The Dirtiest Secret of Agile

Ask just about any technical team nowadays and they’ll claim they’re using some flavor of Agile practices in lieu of the debunked Waterfall method. For all the corniness of poker playing and daily standups where people actually stand up, it’s hard to argue against the eminently sensible Agile Manifesto. Still, the technical landscape is dotted with software releases that don’t cut the mustard, from quality problems to software that fails… Read More »The Dirtiest Secret of Agile

Part 3: 10xPrinciples on Nurturing the Nature: An Employer’s Guide to Evincing 10x Performance

The first post of this three part series, Defining the Principles of 10x, establishes that 10x performers are awesome problem solvers. Those with 10x potential already possess significant natural gifts and an employer can help these employees to realize their potentials – by nurturing their natures. The second post in this series explores how to find latent 10x potential in employees. This final post in the trilogy addresses the question,… Read More »Part 3: 10xPrinciples on Nurturing the Nature: An Employer’s Guide to Evincing 10x Performance

Part 1: 10xPrinciples on the Principles of 10x

When a position description requests a “rock star developer,” one might wonder two things: 1) When will this tired, last century phrase go away, and 2) Who really wants Eddie Van Halen coding a website? Along the same lines, those in engineering circles have long sought “10x programmers,” who are ten times as productive as their ordinary counterparts. Do such unicorns exist or is this some engineering mythology that needs… Read More »Part 1: 10xPrinciples on the Principles of 10x