Startups

[darwinrlo]

Good Founders, Bad Founders

Bad founders think their idea is original. They jealously guard their idea, which they think is a work of genius, and are insistent about NDAs. When they see others doing a similar idea, they accuse them of copying their idea. Good founders realize that what gave them the idea also gave others the same idea. They also know that their idea sucks -- that they have to iterate toward the final idea. They retain their delusional self-confidence but channel their exuberance into constructing and executing upon hyper-realistic plans.

Bad founders think they can do everything. They don't make hard decisions. Good founders retain their delusional self-confidence but use it to execute extremely realistic plans.

[darwinrlo]

As an engineer, I felt insecure about my impact.

[darwinrlo]

Not enough accountability. Too much accountability.

All ideas and no execution.

[darwinrlo]

Ideas, Intentions, and Commitments

In our communication, it behooves us to be clear on whether we're making a commitment, expressing an intention, or merely floating an idea. It behooves us to use language that clearly reflects what we mean.

One way to indicate which of these we mean is to use one of the following preludes:

• Here's an idea....
• (Without making a commitment, ) I intend to....
• I commit to....

It also behooves us to be clear about what we we would like from the other person. If we're floating an idea, we might want someone to help develop it, or if the idea is well-developed, for someone to stress-test it to see if it truly has legs:

• I have a half-baked idea. Can you tell me if I'm onto something?
• I've been toying with this idea for a while. Please attack it with all you've got.

Or you might just be in a state of exuberance in which case your desire is neither of these. You're venting an emotion and your desire is to get validation, not criticism. In my experience, this happens frequently. You can depend on the other person to have the ability to gauge the situation accurately and, if they choose, give you what you want -- or you can clarify your motives by preceding your rant with something like:

• May I tell you about something I'm excited about?

[In a different article, talk about how a receiver might handle this situation without being dishonest.]

On the receiving end, if the other party is unclear about their motives -- just ask:

• For my clarification, are you floating an idea or are you expressing an intention to act?

Besides the things that would be beneficial to do, there are things that are harmful for us to do. For example, many of us -- including myself -- will actually float an idea by saying, We should do X -- which is misleading because it indicates a meaning we do not truly intend. My recommendation is to avoid this phrasing, especially since we cannot assess whether we should do X without taking inventory of the other things we could be doing, which is better suited for a planning meeting.

To close, we often imply -- even state the opposite of -- what we mean and what our expectations are. By being clearer -- even explicitly stating -- what it is that we're presenting as well as what it is that we would like from the other party, we increase the likelihood that our objectives will be achieved while at the same time minimizing wrong turns and feelings of frustration from misunderstandings that are easy to avoid.

[darwinrlo]

We're not really choosing actions. We're choosing outcomes.

[darwinrlo]

Commitments

I believe that we should respect commitments, so I propose the following system.

We cannot demand commitments from others. If we extract a commitment from someone by pressuring them, that commitment doesn't count. If you are in a state of agitation, you are (perhaps unconsciously) demanding a commitment.

In a professional setting, commitments should typically be done during planning meetings. Even if a commitment is explicitly agreed to outside of a meeting, it doesn't count. It is too easy to make a commitment in the heat of the moment. In due time, the passion will dissolve, leaving a commitment you don't really feel committed to.

Most of the time, we should be floating an idea or expressing an intention. When we make a commitment, we should genuinely intend to follow through and try very hard not to break the commitment. It is critical to our trustworthiness.

[darwinrlo]

Accuracy is a non-goal.

[darwinrlo]

Being a good sounding board is critical for forming a positive feedback loop.

[darwinrlo]

Assumptions -- working assumptions -- are critical for optimizing your outcome distribution. But if something is low-cost to observe directly (in terms of effort, time, and money), don't make assumptions.

[darwinrlo]

It's not about optimizing expected outcome. It's choosing an outcome distribution.

[darwinrlo]

The options that are available to you are the ones that you feel motivated to pursue. The other ones might look great on paper, but they are not for you.