As I sit underneath the table in my “man cave” I look back at the semester that is about to stay behind. The last of 15 Decembers as an FDR student. Honestly, it has been a roller coaster ride; that seemed as if it were never to end. To my side, I see my “Bagel Boys” and nostalgia runs through my body. How dumb were we, to fuck up our business so immaturely and foolishly. What has started as a great project with tremendous potential became in its final days a nightmare that consumed each day.
It was not long ago when we read the “hedgehog concept” in Good to Great, and I remember telling Corey how it was inaccurate and that the fox approach to business was better. When I spoke to Corey, my point seemed clear, and I did not see why that approach would not work. Nevertheless, in retrospection to the beginning of the end of the business, I can see how a “hedgehog” approach would have solved several issues.
When the project started both, long and short term goals were clear. That motivated us to continue growing as a company and try to become great. Nevertheless, this honeymoon period abruptly came to an end. After a couple of weeks, we became complacent. We stopped thinking ahead, and instead stop gaps and checklists became the norm. We stayed at the top of the iceberg when alternately we could have gone even further and create great work.
It was the moment when we became foxes and started to scatter everywhere -- instead of finding one great solution were we could be the best at what we did-- that the company began to break down. Honesty became an issue. The flat approach that had served us so well to start the company stopped functioning because we stopped being passionate about what we did and instead focused on completing checklists. Our growth stalled and it was there that I had a realization of what I want with my life.
I have aways been a person to lead by example and motivate others to work to their maximum. However, coming late to the company and not having the title of CEO made me think that leadership was not significant from me until it was too late. For the preceding months to our “dark November” when the company got to its breaking point I should have done more to keep my teammates on task. Although I did motivate them to work harder, it was my fault that I did not push the CEO when he was not doing his job properly. Perceiving that the CEO was not working as he should I should have stepped up and either call for a vote to change CEO or make him realize of his fuck ups and start working as he should. As Corey said it when we first opened the business "Working with three friends is a hard thing to do." At the time I thought we could prove him wrong, but maybe I should have listened when he said it was not a great idea for the four of us to work together. There is a reason older people give us advise. They have years of experience that we don't.
Ultimately, it was our friendship that stopped us from ever getting to becoming a great company. We might have been the right people, we will never know, but one thing is sure we were certainly four friends in the wrong seats making it way too hard to confront and solve the problem.
It was not long ago when we read the “hedgehog concept” in Good to Great, and I remember telling Corey how it was inaccurate and that the fox approach to business was better. When I spoke to Corey, my point seemed clear, and I did not see why that approach would not work. Nevertheless, in retrospection to the beginning of the end of the business, I can see how a “hedgehog” approach would have solved several issues.
When the project started both, long and short term goals were clear. That motivated us to continue growing as a company and try to become great. Nevertheless, this honeymoon period abruptly came to an end. After a couple of weeks, we became complacent. We stopped thinking ahead, and instead stop gaps and checklists became the norm. We stayed at the top of the iceberg when alternately we could have gone even further and create great work.
It was the moment when we became foxes and started to scatter everywhere -- instead of finding one great solution were we could be the best at what we did-- that the company began to break down. Honesty became an issue. The flat approach that had served us so well to start the company stopped functioning because we stopped being passionate about what we did and instead focused on completing checklists. Our growth stalled and it was there that I had a realization of what I want with my life.
I have aways been a person to lead by example and motivate others to work to their maximum. However, coming late to the company and not having the title of CEO made me think that leadership was not significant from me until it was too late. For the preceding months to our “dark November” when the company got to its breaking point I should have done more to keep my teammates on task. Although I did motivate them to work harder, it was my fault that I did not push the CEO when he was not doing his job properly. Perceiving that the CEO was not working as he should I should have stepped up and either call for a vote to change CEO or make him realize of his fuck ups and start working as he should. As Corey said it when we first opened the business "Working with three friends is a hard thing to do." At the time I thought we could prove him wrong, but maybe I should have listened when he said it was not a great idea for the four of us to work together. There is a reason older people give us advise. They have years of experience that we don't.
Ultimately, it was our friendship that stopped us from ever getting to becoming a great company. We might have been the right people, we will never know, but one thing is sure we were certainly four friends in the wrong seats making it way too hard to confront and solve the problem.