We’re working on some new stuff which involves designing a screen for managing users. It’s a bit of an R&D project at this point, but it’s not that far away from being real.
We designed the UI and we liked the way it looked and worked, but then we started asking some questions. Why is this there? Why does that work the way it works? Why would someone want or need to do that?
When we questioned one specific UI element (which dominated the design), we found ourselves defending it with an “Imagine if someone wanted to…” That’s when the red flag went up.
“Imagine if…” is always a red flag. It doesn’t mean the imagination won’t prove to be right, it just means slow down, step back, and get back to what’s real for a moment.
Any scenario can be imagined. Any use case can be dreamed up. But is this something a majority of the people will really need? Is there solid ground beneath this feature or is it floating in fantasy land?
When we hit these bumps we almost always end up with the same decision: Kill it. We can add it back later if it’s a real problem. Until then, we’re just playing with our imagination. We’re better off with less to start. More can come later if it’s really necessary.
There are many reasons why someone would want to start a company. There’s the pursuit of wealth, glory, and fame, but above all, I believe most founders are searching for freedom. Freedom to run things the way they see fit, freedom to be the masters of their own domain.
But until you have profits, until you’re self-sustainable, you won’t truly have that freedom. As long as you’re beholden to other people’s money, you’re ultimately beholden to their approval.
Because we’re profitable, Jason and I get the freedom to do all sorts of “crazy” things:
37signals runs entirely without debt, which is apparently so uncommon that we had trouble getting net-30 terms from a vendor recently, because we couldn’t give four trade references for credit. Running a company without debt is like paying off your mortgage—liberating.
We actually trust our employees. No expense reports, no counting vacation or sick days, no required location or work hours. We give everyone a credit card for expenses and tell them to spend it wisely. What really matters is turning out good work.
We speak our minds — even when it’s inconvenient, controversial, or risking offense to some of our customers or partners. There’s none of the traditional self-censorship that quickly creeps in when you have to worry about what the big man thinks about your opinions.
It’s these supposedly crazy things that make me not want to give up 37signals for anything.
Now, all this is technically possible without the freedom of profitability, but it certainly wouldn’t be natural or common. Once you start thinking about how your decisions and actions might displease the men with the money, you invariably shy away from the most controversial (and best) ideas.
Around 20 minutes in, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey talks about how he hates working with people who aren’t willing to stand up for their views.
You have to have a culture where there’s no bad idea and people aren’t afraid to bring them up. I want the people who work with me to have very, very strong opinions. And I get really mad if I make the first argument against and they’re immediately like, “Oh yeah, maybe you’re right.” That drives me nuts.
Neat to see a leader who wants his team members to disagree with him and push back. Loyalty and mindlessly saying yes aren’t the same things. Smart people want to hear pushback. Not drama and emotional conflict, just healthy disagreement.
But when one — or a few people — hire and take special care to choose personalities who are a good fit (and then bring those people into the fold slowly), you get a culture where people feel ok speaking their minds.
I’ve been fighting my way through Clausewitz’s On War, and came upon a passage in Book 1, Chapter 3. Boiled down to bullet points, here’s what he has to say about the effect of chance in war:
War is the province of chance.
Thus, situations are constantly changing beyond what you plan for.
If situations change sufficiently, you may need to come up with an entirely new plan.
A new plan requires new data, but you are often required to make a decision on the spot, before you have a chance to really analyze the new situation.
Usually, though, chance events only serve to make us hesitate, and do not completely change our plans.
Learning about some chance event has increased our knowledge of the situation.
However, this new knowledge has increased our uncertainty, instead of decreasing it.
Why? Because these chance events are always occurring, and make us feel constantly on the defensive.
I particularly loved the insight from those last three bullet points. How ironic, that we tend hesitate instead of move forward when presented with new information!
He then goes on to say that the solution is to cultivate (among other things) coup d’oeil, which is the ability to grasp a situation at a glance, and resolution, which he defines as a “moral corage”, or “courage in the face of responsibility” (as contrasted with courage in the face of physical danger).
An intense debate about business models, bubbles, capitalism, quality of life, market share vs. profit share, running a business vs. selling a business, and a variety of other related topics from episode 46 of This Week in Startups. This is really good stuff.
(There’s 47 minutes of material before the interview. The video above picks up where the interview starts. The interview is what’s really worth watching.)
If you’re interested in finding out more about David’s point of view, check out REWORK — now a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller.
Make decisions right before you do something, not far in advance. It’s OK to wing it. Just get on the plane and go. You can pick up a nicer shirt, shaving cream, and a toothbrush once you get there.
It’s something travel backpackers have long known. That’s why they pack light, avoid rigid itineraries, stay frugal, and follow a mindset similar in many ways to Getting Real/REWORK.
There is no need for pre-planned routes or pre-booked hotels. Get on the road and figure your way from there. I find the idea of not knowing where to stay overnight exhilarating.
Next up: The Less Principle & Avoid Preferences.
How many hours have you spent preparing your bag for every eventuality, packing too much stuff you did never touch while on the road. I once lived through 10 days just with just my hand baggage (My main baggage didn’t make it). Sure, I stocked up on underwear, a toothbrush and t-shirts but I imagined it far worse. I perfectly understand this doesn’t work for long trips or hikes, but you can believe me, I do no longer feel like I forgot something at home.
Along the same lines, “How To Think Like A Lightweight Backpacker” [The Ultralight Backpacking Site] lists some basic questions you should ask when planning a backpacking trip or looking at gear. Examples: How can I make this lighter? What lighter version can I carry? Can I leave this behind? What multiple-use items can I use to cut weight? Etc.
Ask of each item, “do I really need to bring this?” A small kettle can be used to fry things, in, so leave the frying pan home. Another question to clarify this is, “will I use it?” I carried a small chess set on more than one backpacking trip, but never found another player.
At David’s talk in Austin, he talked about increasing productivity. One thing he mentioned that kills flow: that little unread email count notification in your dock (shown at left).
The solution: In mail.app’s preferences, you can turn it off. Switch it to None and your dock will stop “knocking.”
Now it’s on you to go check email instead of having that count pushed upon you. A subtle shift, but one that can make a powerful difference.
Got pitched on a couple of iPhone apps while down in Austin. One pitched me with a “Got an iPhone? Come inside and get a $15 iTunes gift card” spiel as I walked to the convention center. I had 20 minutes to kill so I said sure. I entered their venue (which probably cost a ton to rent) and downloaded the iPhone app. Then I had to use it once in front of ‘em. Then they gave me the gift card. Then I exited the building. Then I walked three steps and deleted the app from my phone.
The other one was an app at the trade show portion of the event that included some sort of location/geo/something-or-other. The woman demoing the app showed me how, using this app, she could pinpoint the location of Andrew, one of the app’s developers. (Andrew was standing right next to her.) Then she started using the iPhone to figure out his location. When it worked, she proudly showed me that her iPhone had spotted Andrew. I commented that this certainly was a great way to determine the location of someone who is standing right next to you.
At David’s talk in Austin, he talked about increasing productivity. One thing he mentioned that kills flow: that little unread email count notification in your dock (shown at left).