Monkey Do
It's a Journey - Thought Snack #90
Happy spring, friends!!!
Harry and I used to joke early on that everything we did at work boiled down to one mission: make number go up. Number of batteries sold. Number of hours of backup provided. Number of employees. Number of customers. We define a number, plaster KPIs on TVs covering every wall of the building, and hit targets.
The two of us were able to disconnect from this a little bit. Our day to day jobs were to build systems, tools, and processes. Our jobs were to help other people hit their targets. It was great. We had all the fun of solving problems and trying experiments without the pressure of knowing it’s our head on the line if we don’t hit target.
My job used to be purely to find problem, solve problem, advise on problem. Now, my job is to make decisions, reason with others about why the decisions were made, align mission and vision across multiple people, and drive execution across a dozen work streams in a coherent way.
Cole calls this steering the ship, and I’ve never had to steer a ship of more than 3 or 4.
Phase 1 was about getting the product off the ground. It was a pretty thrashy process. I had to learn how to work with a bunch of other people while they were balancing other priorities. I was getting pressure to accelerate timelines, but didn’t feel like I had the resources to do it. I was supposed to be steering, but I was getting steered by all the forces around me.
Over time, with some coaching and guidance, I found that one of the most effective ways to align multiple people across multiple teams towards the same vision is actually to anchor on the number.
We’ve got to get to 100k customers by this date.
This is where they are going to come from.
And this is what we need to do to activate those channels.
I need help from each of you in these ways to do it.
Let’s rally!
This framing helped me get the plan and resources together to actually be able to launch the product and get it off the ground.
Starting Line
Getting to our first customer was huge. Though we had only accomplished the bare minimum (truly just the pre-requisites), it came with a lot of learning and hard work. Now we have to go chase down our targets.
For the first time in my career, I have a number. It got put on a TV on a wall next to my desk. The target is defined. It’s outlandish. And I gotta go hit it. The mandate is clear.
I’m in my first week of trying to launch this thing and I am OBSESSED. I can’t stop thinking about how to move the number. Dreaming up all the ways I can do it.
My initial solution was to dive into hand-to-hand combat and sell. I’ve manually pushed 90% of our current volume through the funnel by manually following up to marketing blasts with direct SMS/email/phone sales. I’m willing this business into existence, because I WANT it to exist.
So really, my whole adult life, I’ve been pretty anti-KPI. You set the wrong one and it drives perverse behaviors. You set a goal/target, and you get so laser focused on achieving it that you miss everything else the world has to offer. I was indoctrinated on the idea that KPIs and targets weren’t required to create a successful business.
But for the first time, I can see how much focus it can provide. And how it can actually be used as a tool to get creative. The nice thing about this number is that nobody is telling me how to do it. Just telling me to make it happen. And so I am. First through sheer power of will and a little bit of hacky smarts. Second, through partnerships. And third, because I built a product that I truly think is good for the customer.
I never thought I was a monkey. I thought I was better than that. But I proved myself wrong :) Monkey … make number go up :)
Don’t forget to smile today:)
Thejas
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