The Game is Won by People Who Absolutely Have to Get Things
Done.
Finishing. Whether it's
a crossword puzzle or a new product launch, the ability to commit to and finish
a task is a critical skill for startups. Here are four keys to
completion.
BY HOWARD
TULLMAN, GENERAL MANAGING PARTNER, G2T3V AND CHICAGO HIGH TECH
INVESTORS@HOWARDTULLMAN1
Not too long ago, I was
walking on a newly completed strip of asphalt, and I spotted a dime laying on
the ground. Old habits die hard, and I quickly stooped to pick it up and found
that the coin was stuck firmly in the black gook and wouldn't budge. I took out
my keys and tried to dig around the edges of the coin, but I clearly had the
wrong tools for the task. I thought for a moment that this was some prankster's
idea of a joke like the old wallet on a string ploy or Lucy whisking away the
football from Charlie Brown just before the kick, but sometimes tar is just
tar. In any case, I went home and, like any good entrepreneur, stewed on the
problem for a while, grabbed a screwdriver, mallet, and an awl from my
basement, and headed back to the scene of the crime. That dime is now mine.
You wouldn't be
surprised to learn that certain family members concluded that I was totally out
of my gord - but the only really important question is whether this undertaking
at that moment was the highest and best use of my time. Some version of this exact
question is what every new business builder and entrepreneur should be asking
themselves multiple times a day: "Is what I'm doing or about to do moving the
business forward and closer to our goals?" It's so very
easy these days to get distracted and lose your way and your direction. Time is
scarce, resources are limited, and, if your attention is scattered, your
chances of success are far less.
But that doesn't mean
that even the smallest undertaking can't be important and meaningful in the
long run. Finishing what you start is one great example.
It's not like I couldn't
spare 15 minutes in my day, but was rescuing this dime really something that
needed to be done? And please ignore the reality that, in the WFH world,
the spousal list of chores is infinite, inchoate, and always lurking - so there
are always other demands competing for your time. What's critical about the
decision to get the job done isn't its importance or size or even ultimate
monetary or other value. What's crucial is developing, strengthening, and
flexing from time to time the underlying behavior (or obsessiveness if you
prefer) that drives so many successful people. The need to get things done.
The most successful
people I know make sure that they try their best to finish whatever it is that
they started. Unfinished tasks, large or small, don't disappear; they linger,
fester, and suck away energy, focus, and enthusiasm. If you're lucky and work
at it, you develop a mantra, a style, and a lifelong habit - like a dog with a
bone that won't let things go. Everyone comes to appreciate that you don't settle, quit in the
middle, or do much of anything in a halfway or half-hearted manner. The
level of intensity with which you approach any and every challenge rarely
differs from one task or project to another unless you no longer care about
what you're doing.
And if you're very
fortunate, that drive and commitment will carry over into whatever it is that
you do for a living. Entrepreneurs especially know that in building a business
you can be proud of, there's never really a finish line. And don't think for a
moment that people don't notice or that it's not contagious. The strongest
leaders lead by example, and they sweat all the details - large and small
- to make sure the job gets done completely and done right.
We don't go home when the whistle blows; we leave when there's nothing left to
be done. We stop when we're finished.
Of course, we all know
that not everything works out perfectly -- or at all. It's always a race to see
how big you can get before you get bad. You need to learn how to let
things go because not everything can be fixed, finished, or saved. Knowing how to stop an ill-fated or fruitless venture and
how to do it fairly for all concerned is another critical skill set which takes
years to master. It makes life down the line a lot easier to set realistic
milestones and several checkpoints, benchmarks, and drop-dead dates before you
commit everyone to stick to the plan and the schedule.
But there are still some
things you can do to set yourself up for the highest probability of consistent
success and to help you avoid biting off more than anyone can chew. Here are
the four main cautions I try to always keep in mind.
(1) Look
carefully--really carefully-- before you leap.
It's great to be
enthusiastic and to say "Yes" to as many projects and tasks as
possible, but the "ready, fire, aim" approach is guaranteed to cause
you more heartache than happiness. Make sure you understand the scope and scale
of each commitment before you jump into it - everything in life generally costs
more and takes longer than we hope or expect, and startups are no different.
You don't want to test the depth of the puddle with both feet.
(2) Make
sure you're taking your team with you.
The true leader is the
one who gets followed - whole-heartedly and with enthusiasm. If you're spending
too much time trying to talk your team into the journey, convincing them of its
wisdom, or pulling them along beside you, there's a good chance that you need
to take a second look and catch your breath before charging ahead. Nothing good
gets done if you're working on it all by yourself.
(3) Don't
try to get to heaven overnight.
Patience isn't something
normally associated with entrepreneurs, but starting out slowly and building
over time gives you the power to course correct, the flexibility of
alternatives and options, and the ability to recruit partners, talent,
resources, and support for the new venture as time passes. You can't push a
rope. Feeling too much pressure to get something done quickly generally means
that you failed to scope out the project and analyze the requirements and
necessary timeframes correctly before you began. In the long run, doing it
right is far more important than doing it fast.
(4) Make
sure the gamble is worth the risk.
In interviewing, we
don't hire the best person we see; we hire the best person we see for
the job that needs to be done. It's the same idea for taking on new
projects. As attractive and potentially profitable as they may be, it's always
still a matter of "fit." Are the risks, the costs, the other foregone
opportunities, the team's capacity and ability, and the upside of the venture
all sufficient to make the undertaking worthwhile for your business.
If any of the critical decision criteria are missing, it's a pass. It doesn't
take a large leak to eventually sink even the sturdiest ship.
Bottom line:
Success is not about starting, it's about finishing. But starting out carefully
and thoughtfully makes the whole process a lot easier, a lot less painful, and
a lot more likely to succeed.
