As I mentioned in my previous post, "B work" - The Pareto Principle in Startups, in a startup environment it is often much better to complete a "B grade" project quickly then to take a lot of time and resources to complete a project perfectly. This is why Passionate Perfectionists can have such a hard time in a startup.
Calvin Coolidge stated, "Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent." Many people are so good at what they do that doing anything less than perfection is very hard for them. However, in my experience the desire to achieve perfection can often be the biggest mistake in a startup. Usually we have such limited time and resources, it's important to be able to make do with "B work".
If you are exceptional at what you do, don't let your passion for perfection get in the way of pushing out work that is good enough for that phase of your business. This is especially important if other people are waiting on the results of your work. Many experts agree that in a technology startup it is very important to just get a product out there as soon as possible and to not be afraid of selling something you know isn't perfect.
Don't be afraid of "B work"
In my experience, regardless of how much time you spend getting customer feedback and input on how a product should work ahead of time, there will always be advancements and changes needed that no one ever imagined until the product is actually being used. So, in actuality even if you think you have completed a perfect project to begin with this probably isn't the case anyway.
In a startup trust among coworkers is crucial, but it is developed in a different way than in a big company. In a small startup, trust is developed by always being accountable to complete your projects on time. Trust is created by being the type of person who your teammates don't have to wait on and who never holds up the process.
That is why, it is far better to be able to complete all of your projects on time than to complete everything perfectly. If you want and need to to have everything completely defined ahead of time and to have all the time and resources you need to always complete every project to perfection, you might be more comfortable at a big company. This will never happen in a small company.
No excuse for "D work"
Please don't think I'm okay with not doing your best, though. There is no excuse for doing sloppy work and not paying attention to details. I'm just saying to do your best but know when it's okay to call it done and move on. Focus on the most important thing to a new company; getting things done. Hit your deadlines, move the project forward, sell it, get customers feedback and work on making the next version better. This is the way to be successful in a startup.
Are you able to hit all of your deadlines? Does your desire for perfection ever stop you from getting things done? Or can you be okay with completing "B work" and moving on?
I like this principle a lot. I think it's easy to think that everything has to be just right, but you are right that sometimes it becomes a barrier to progress.
ReplyDeleteHow do you strike the balance between A work and B work? I think there are definitely times when A work is very important, but what helps you determine this? When you are in the moment and on a project that is your baby, it gets tough to separate emotion from it and accept that maybe B work is better in that situation.
Mark, great questions. There are definitely things that require A work at any cost but you're right that the key might be to pull yourself out of the equation and just try to see what's needed for the long-term progress of your company.
ReplyDeleteIf it's your biggest partner and they are very picky about the deliverables or something like financial reporting then A work is probably necessary. But if it's work for a smaller or less particular partner or if it's something that can work in its current state with a small work-around then B-work will work great and you can move on to the next thing. I'm open to any other ideas, though.