In many of my portfolio companies I can see that the most challenging is to bring people behind an idea and 10 minutes later just go out and do it. It sounds easy, but it is not. Not in large companies, not in small companies except from some start-ups. Why? Let’s first recapitulate and ask yourself, are you that executive? Maybe. But most likely not, even if you think so. Maybe you have been in the past, maybe when you started up your business. This is the core of the problem.
When entrepreneurs start up their business they have a clear idea, a problem to solve or a challenge that is almost impossible to solve. They have their sweet spot, the soul of their business in a nut shell. You are fast from reflection or conception to action, but when the business grow and you expand with a management team you suddenly either feel that everything goes to slow or that your management team is not smart enough. It might be the case, but it might also be that the world outside is changing, getting more complex with more competitors and more mature customers. All discussions get stuck or complex, you and your team have difficulties to take proper actions or delaying each other from doing that.
When you get into analyzing paralyzing a useful tool is Ceteris Paribus (Latin phrase), literally translated as “with other things the same,” or “all other things being equal or held constant. You simply lock the dicussion to one parameter and discuss consequences, after that you lock on the next parameter and so on. In a few moments you will have a clear idea and a common conception. Now, commit yourself and ask your team for commitment for what to do and just do it.
As you notice, I have changed into write in English, several years after the fist encouraging attempt to get me in this direction. So, here we go…
