Office of the Flywheel

When I began my career I worked in the fast paced world of Silicon Valley high tech start ups. These were extraordinary days where small groups of highly skilled and motivated people were building the future. I think from the outside in, most people might recall the "dot com" boom, some of the many of the failed "sites", and the subsequent investment vacuum as the market bottom went into a free fall. Nonetheless, this era of tech boom laid the foundation for the smart phones and world of apps that are common place today. It was the touch point where networked computing power and the general consumer market were brought together by the growing penetration of in-home personal computers.

At a personal level there were things about this environment that benefited me beyond measure. As my career has progressed I've realized in retrospect that many of the things about the inherent way that I execute is A) tied to this period of personal "career incubation", B) is distinct from those who have gone through traditional methods of career growth, and C) continues to provide an order of magnitude accelerator to what I'm able to deliver.

The People
Depending on how you define it, I've worked for between 5 and 10 different start ups. Regardless, in each case I've worked with senior leaders who either had the guts to leave a cushy corner office and shoot for the moon, or were crazy enough to double time their work week to simultaneously bridge a day job and a start up. These were my professors in a hands on school of brutal hard knocks. And almost like having gone into battle forms a bond between soldiers, I still share a friendship with these incredible people.

>> Upshots:
When you create a team you can't just look at the acronyms on a resume, or the years of experience. You want to build a culture to your group. It has to be positive, requires mutual respect, and collaboration that includes the whole team.

IF you have high performing people, and the right culture, everything else will fall into place. The more experienced will educate the rising stars. The newer thinking will come up with unique ideas to traditional challenges. Leadership understands and appreciates the contribution of the team, and gives credit where credit is due.


Hard Work
I never knew how hard I could work until I started at my first start up. Recently I pushing to hit a deadline and was putting in hours that reminded me of the start up days. So to test I began clocking my hours, which were totaling up to between 85 and 92 hours per week.

I am not a sprinter. Genius ides don't just come to me. I think I'm generally a pretty normal guy. But it doesn't matter. Making meaningful impact sometimes comes down to some old fashioned elbow grease. When you make meaningful impact, people notice.

>> Upshots:
Thought leadership within an organization comes from demonstrative examples. In "Good to Great" Jim Collins explains that change is created by turning factual potential into factual results.

I suspect that most people don't put in the time. So, if you have a group that knows WHEN this can add value, and is capable of delivering the extended hours of high-value focus, you have a strong competitive advantage. Note that "when" is a relevant quality to understand - just working your team long hours to maximize work hours is NOT the same thing.


Expert Leaders or The Seat Of Their Pants?
I used to think leaders knew what they were doing. As I've led projects I've come to realize how much I depend on the team members. Sometimes I feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants, but that wouldn't quite be right. The trick is to think objectively about the people you bring into the group. What are they GREAT at doing? As Jim Collins writes, "are they genetically encoded to do what they do?" But this quality doesn't just apply to project leaders, it is a filter you should apply to EVERYONE in the group.

For level 4 leaders, the need for control is great. These leaders micro-manage, check the minute details before a release, and lead with a stick. They don't get it.

>> Upshots:
Great leaders understand the value of the group mind. You can't know everything, and you don't want to try. Getting high performing people with the right culture creates your ideal leadership environment. Here the people in your group can report on the details, and you can focus on bringing it all together into a cohesive direction.


Know Your Business, Know Your SMEs
I've worked in many industries, each of which needed technical web-based solutions. While I live to build web applications and platforms, I have to go through a discovery process to learn the business each time. I think that often is the case that technologists shrug their shoulders and say "yep, I can build that," but fail to get a deep understanding and a deep base of subject matter experts (SMEs) who can help.

If you want to create market value. If you want to make your business wildly profitable. Then you need to understand how to build greatness. Without context for what greatness means for your business in your industry, the development of technology is irrelevant.

I sit down with SMEs to understand what they do. Follow the process, and the data. I like to do this in short 30 minute 1 on 1 meetings where the SME works - at their desk. I'll also do quick "fly by" in-person stops where I can ask questions. I am appreciative of the information I get, and always try to give credit at each milestone deliverable to the network of SMEs who helped deliver the result. It builds rapport with a wide network of SMEs in a quick amount of time. It creates a working relationship that I can leverage moving forward. And it ensures that WHAT I build is based on a strong base of WHO knows it the most.

>> Upshots:
You might say that this is a practical example of the "who first then what" concept. And I'd agree. But I rarely see people use this approach in favor of consensus building meetings, external experts, and scheduled meetings that create time delay. If you can be nimble, in-person yet low touch, and with a quick turnaround cycle time, you will have a significant advantage.


Use Video
People are busy. People are geographically distributed. And yet, people need to know. When you deliver a milestone, create a 5 minute video about the delivery. I can be viewed when people have time, from wherever they are in the world. Invest in a video camera, a screen recording application, and some basic video editing software. Does this sound outside your comfort zone? Then find someone who can help.


Using These Tools to Affect Organizational Change
When I was working in start ups with 35 people, affecting change was easier. But even in a larger organization you can affect change. And sometimes the best place to steer is not from the helm of the ship.

• Get the right people to work on your team
• Learn to work hard, and when to work really hard
• Develop a group mind approach to your team leadership
• Form a tight working relationship the SMEs that provide input to your project
• Use video to demonstrate deliveries, successes, and to give credit