- You can't make an omelet without breaking the eggs.
- Hit hard, hit fast, hit often.
Today's software businesses require Halsey leadership that drives quick implementation followed by rapid data driven adjustments based on analytical data. Leaders must establish a culture of action and aggression where the competition is one's own ability to execute quickly, make rapid and decisive decisions, learn from the market, and perform as one cohesive unit. In short, organizations must adapt quickly to new knowledge and changing conditions.
Traditional organizations rely on top down leadership, detailed planning cycles that dictate releases for multiple quarters or even years, and an emphasis on organizational structure and roles. Certainly an appropriate approach when servicing a market where a company has a sizable market share in a well-established market and product distribution channels are not changing. In The Innovator’s Solution Clayton Christiansen clearly describes how disruptive technologies require a new distribution channel to enter the market and have a chance of success. Using the same distribution channel as an entrenched competitor will provide the incumbent massive advantages that will not be outweighed by their slow to adapt organizational structure. Find a new distribution channel and a fleet footed competitor can capture share in the new market before the “planful” company realizes a new market has developed.
Audacious companies emphasize bold action, personal initiative, and pushing responsibility to the lowest possible level; all of which require a lean organization. The focus is always outward with emphasis on customers and the competition. A fast moving company requires minimal layers and clear ownership across groups so decision-making occurs at the execution team level as these teams possess deep market and technological knowledge. A unifying strategy, not vision, unites the distributed decision making into a coherent effort. Each team is constantly modifying plans according to the market conditions and searching for areas under served in the market and ready to be exploited. The leadership reinforces the product efforts experiences breakouts with personnel, marketing resources, and sales support.
Enable your teams to break some eggs in the marketplace by empowering them to take the initiative and make bold decisions then be ready to support them when they succeed or redeploy them when they find lack of traction. So hit the market hard, fast, and often.
