Your Unfair Advantage

In his recent blog post on pitching to potential investors, Guy Kawasaki argues that a startup needs an unfair competitive advantage. He states "That’s why they are called unfair advantages...If everyone had them, the field was level, and everyone was created equal, then they would be called fair advantages, which is an oxymoron." Whereas pitching to investors is important, it is vastly more important for a startup to actually execute its unfair advantage. Unfulfilled promises to investors do not leave anyone very happy.

My experience has convinced me that the primary unfair advantage of any  startup is an ability for rapid decision making. I am not just referring to the early days when a startup must be opportunistic and meet the needs of any customers that it finds. Later, as a startup attempts to break out to become a successful mid-size company, it must also leverage its ability to quickly make correct decisions. Success requires an organization that combines three essential elements:
1) the right team,
2) clear objectives,
3) and a constant focus on rapid execution.

We Are Living in Exponential Times

The world is changing more rapidly than ever before and that rate of change is accelerating.

This YouTube video about the rapid progression of information technology was shown at a Sony executive conference last year. Here are some excepts:

• The first text message was sent in 1992. Today, the number of messages sent every day exceeds the number of people on Earth.
• It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million people, TV 13 years, the Internet 4 years, the iPod 3 years, and Facebook 2 years.
• The number of internet devices in 1984 was one thousand, in 1992 one million, in 2008 one billion.
• 4 exabytes (4 x 10^19) of unique information will be generated this year: more that the previous 5,000 years combined.
• The amount of technical information is doubling every year.
• The most in-demand jobs of 2010 did not exist in 2004.

Goal Setting

Over the past few months, my management team and I have been working on our 2012 Operating Plan. We are in the process of defining our goals, metrics, and budgets for 2012. This process, which we do every year, is always a combination of analysis, strategic thinking, constructive conflict, and some educated guesswork.

The Difference Between Winners & Losers

The following story illustrates a difference between winners and losers in the modern global economy.

A new VP who was just promoted was settling into his new corner office when he noticed that his trash can was full. When he arrived the next day, the trash remained. After a week, with the trash can still full, he decided to seek out the building manager. The building manager said that he would look into it, and came by later to tell him what had happened. A janitor had stopped by his office each night, found the door to locked, and gone on his way. The locks had been changed when the VP got his new office. The building manager said that the problem would be rectified immediately.

Leadership: Introvert or Extrovert

The Leadership trait of extroversion or introversion is a topic that comes up often. In his book "Execution" (co-authored by Ram Charan), Larry Bossidy states the he would hesitate to hire a leader who was quiet and reserved. On the other hand, Lisa Petrilli's new book "The Introvert's Guide to Success in Business and Leadership" argues that introversion is a leadership strength that should be cultivated.