By Sebastian Thrun
Founder and CEO at Udacity
I always felt that the process of innovation is analogous to climbing a mountain that’s
never been climbed before. Reaching the summit of an unexplored mountain can be extremely rewarding (as can be a start-up IPO). But to me, even more exciting is the climb itself. It is the process of finding a path, negotiating obstacles, and learning from mistakes.
There are several things that separate successful explorers from unsuccessful ones. So here are my seven things of what to do.
Find Your Team
First, you need to compose a team you can trust. Your team needs to be energized, open-minded, and willing to take risks. Perfectionists don’t take risks; many so-called experts are unwilling to learn. They will all slow you down. Choose a team of individuals who are comfortable with risk, are eager to change the world and can’t wait to take the first step. And equally importantly, you need trust. At some point, your life will depend on your teammates and their lives will depend on yours. With mistrust in the team, you won’t get far.
Agree on the Final Goal
Don't climb without a clear understanding of which peak to climb. This might sound trivial, but I am stunned how often this rule is violated in technology circles. If half your team wants to climb one peak, and the other half a different peak, then you will fail. No matter how hard you work. There has to be absolute agreement on the ultimate goal, and every member of your team has to aim for the same goal. If people on your team don't agree, help them find happiness outside your team. It may be painful to ask a trusted member to step back, but if done right she will come back and thank you for it. And remember, the taller a peak you pick, the higher you will climb.
Don’t Plan the Climb
Then really importantly: Don't plan your route to the top. Simply don’t plan! Your mountain has never been climbed before. You just can't know the path. Or, in corporate land, you can’t know the budget and you can’t predict when your business will succeed. Arguing these things will only drag you down. Instead, just aim, and take the first step. Every mountain is climbed step after step after step, so you might as well start taking steps. Be open minded, and ready to learn. What you will find is that the process of climbing is more gratifying than the process of arguing how to climb.
Factor in Retreat
On your way up, you will inevitably make poor choices. You will find yourself on false summits, or face non-traversable terrain. So you will have to retreat. In start-up speak, this is called a "pivot" - but it really is a retreat, since you have to undo past work before you can continue climbing. While descending may feel painful, you are actually getting closer to the summit. Learning something new constitutes progress. Get into the habit of celebrating failures and pivots (but still try to avoid them). At Google[x] we threw celebratory parties when projects failed!
Avoid the Tempting Yet Smaller Peaks
You will also encounter bad weather. At times, fog, rain, or snow will obscure the view of the summit. If that freaks you out, you will fail. Never switch to lesser mountains just because these are the only ones you can see. When the fog lifts, you will regret your decision. Instead, trust that the peak hasn't gone away, and trust your intuition while your senses might be clouded. At Udacity, it was always easy to pick smaller projects and gain success like creating online education for a district or for a few companies. But, the goal of democratizing education for everyone is a far bigger mountain that takes a lot more dedication and a lot more years. Yet it is the only mountain that truly matters to me and my team.
Fatigue Happens
Your team will fatigue. The higher you get, the less willing you might be to take risks. If you are running a company, the number of meetings will increase, and progress will grind to a halt. I promise you this problem affects every team. I have seen many promising start-up companies fail because of internal self-obstruction, or self-destruction. Teams experiencing a slow-down in progress often hire more people, just to find more people voicing more opinions in ever-more-busy meeting rooms won't make you go faster. It is important that you spot even the earliest signs of this problem and combat them vigorously. Aspiration must trump fear, and your team must be willing to risk everything, every day of the journey. Shrink your team. Streamline decision making. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it works.
Enjoy the Journey
Finally, you will suffer if you don't enjoy the very process of mountaineering. Climbers often spend weeks to reach a summit, but then stay there for just a few minutes. If reaching the summit is your only joy, then you are in for a prolonged period of suffering. Or put differently, if you are only into start-ups to get rich, you will face a lot of pain – more than money can make up for. Mountain climbing is not for everyone. But if you derive your pleasure from the little things, the failures, the learnings, and your daily progress, then you are in for a fun ride.
NOTE CREDIT:
how-climb-mountain-kill-your-start-up-sebastian-thrun
