Big organizations can’t compete with startups having 1% of their resources. Not because they have too few people (or resources), but because they have too many.
When you have lots of people, first, you stack them up in a hierarchy. Now, each person has to manage their bosses before they can do a thing.
Next, you divide the company into silos — now, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. To navigate this landscape, you will need a Garmin GPS.
Next comes politics — not the kind of politics we see in a democracy — this one is the real deal. 😊
Next comes the ego — every human carries (at least) one. Since the ego seeks expression, we all launch our own pet projects and initiatives, while believing that everyone else’s projects are all crap.
To get anything done in this universe, you need infinite meetings to get alignment, ‘buy-ins’, and God knows what all. Phew!
Despite all that, if people still manage to do things, it says something about them.
The lesson is that when possible, simplify life. Do fewer things. Stay lean. Stay focused. And do one thing at a time.
Life is not that complicated. Until we complicate it.
– Rajan