Luck and Inspiration
Luck
In "Great by Choice" Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen write that it isn't whether you will have good or bad luck, but what you do with the luck you get.
After graduating with a philosophy degree I immediately realized that I might not be properly positioned to kick off my career. Fortunately I had a friend who worked in high tech who told me to go work for a start up. At the time it was a boom economy, I should be able to get hired doing something, and could take on responsibilities from there as I figured out what I wanted to do. It turns out, this was perfect advice.
I began working at my first start up soon after. I thought to myself, "great, I'll put in 5 or 6 years and when I have some experience under my belt I'll see what is next." Well laid plans. About a year later, with the economy in a nose dive the business went under - no IPO, no liquidation event, no expensive sports car.
Then I got hired at another start up. And a year later.... I've worked for many start ups, each a fantastic learning lab for business. I wore all kinds of hats, developed a deep base of skills, learned valuable lessons from senior leaders who came to work in these start ups, made lots of great colleagues and friends, and experienced in short cycle times what works and what doesn't. I look at this as a 5 or 6 year hands on MBA course - if only the school of hard knocks had a degree system. But as Robert M. Pirsig points out in "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", the degree and grading system is a flawed institution - not that it isn't valuable, but the quality of practical experience I invested into myself was so much greater that I am all the better for it.
I think many people may have looked at this and all the bad luck and say "What a waste!" But I can't imagine having a more fortunate early career. When I work with people now who put in years at their first company (remember my 5 year plan above), I notice key distinctions in my approach to business that I wouldn't have without my years in the start up world.
Inspiration
My work is business. My hobby is business. If business was a breakfast cereal, I wouldn't just eat it for breakfast, I'd have boxes in my pantry, coupons in my wallet, and track when it goes on sale. I LOVE what I do. I am passionate about it, and I'm not afraid to wear that on my sleeve.
When I work at more established businesses, I feel that my job is to be an evangelist for cultural change. You CAN NOT understand how to be a great business if you DO NOT understand the following:
"If your people are not inspired, you will not, CAN NOT build a great business."
Posters on the wall that state the corporate mission - offensive. If your corporate mission isn't basic enough to be understood by everyone in your organization, then you have failed.
A focus on headcount reduction, rather than a focus on growth - incorrect focus. Almost like subconscious predestination, you will do what you focus on. And your team will feel it. Working with people who are worried for their jobs breeds commiseration, complacency, and inefficiency.
Have fun - even if you aren't a start up. I remember having razor scooters for getting around the office, putting golf meetings around the office, and pick-up ping pong brainstorming sessions. You don't have to go invest in a foosball table, but you should call time out and think about your corporate culture.
Build the right culture. While we are talking about it, things like "years worked" awards, high fives, employee of the month, and other generic rah-rah crap that HR departments love to implement is a colossal swing and miss. Start with things like giving credit to teams who deliver, recognizing people with a "thank you," noticing hard work with an email.
At the same time, recognize that your team is more important than you are. When you hit milestones, make sure organizational leaders hear about the people who made it happen - even to the extent that you DO NOT mention your own contributions.
Development of Culture With Your Team
I recently had a leader tell me to never lose my passion for what I do. I don't expect that I will, but in the context of business I think I'm an edge case (my boss recently told me I need to "learn how to be more of a slacker"). HOWEVER, most people that I work with have the ability to get revved up about the project as the momentum builds, and the barometer for expressing excitement for achievement is set by the leader.
Step 1: Get The Right People
People who are smart, passionate, and a fit for your culture.
Step 2: Create The Culture
Define a culture that is excited about achieving your core concept.
Step 3: Enable Success
Build buffers, contingency plans, redundancies, and adaptability into your projects.
Certainly there is more to running a business than this. But if you have these qualities you will be prepared to deal with luck - good and bad - and you will have a culture that is inspired to work hard toward achieving your core concept in both good and bad times.
