For the better part of a decade, I’ve had a virtual sticky note on my computer’s desktop with the activities that give me meaning. I don’t expect to do all of these in a single day, but rather, it’s a pool of options that, if I can do more than one in a day, I feel fucking great. #BestLife.
Founders often want to move fast too early, before they achieve problem/solution fit, then subsequently move too slowly after they’ve validated product/market fit. This all boils down to confidence — overconfidence early and under-confidence later.
There is a difference between saying, “how can I help you?” and, “help me help you.” There’s also a difference between saying, “I need X, Y and Z to be a better partner,” and, “we’re screwed and need your help.”
Seriously, I can’t hammer this one home enough. Just. Fucking. Take. The. Call.
As CEOs and product owners, we are effectively outsourced team members, contract force accelerators. Yet more often than not, we act like clueless employees, sleepwalking through the day, hoping that our actions align with our employer’s goals or, at worst, praying we don’t fuck up enough to be noticed.
Find your tribe. Find the people with whom you’re comfortable removing your mask. Find others like you who feel a bit broken inside but still have the guts to change the world while dealing with all that baggage. Creating a better future is tough work, so bring friends.