The Biggest Startup Strategy Myth (and How to Deal With It)
Your company will never grow bigger than the initial strategy behind it
“We have a strategic plan. It’s called doing things.”
— Herb Kelleher (co-founder of Southwest Airlines)
In my early years, that quote hung in our office and it was reflected in my leadership. I remember an employee telling me that he wanted to work “more strategically,” and I had no idea what he meant. In my mind, our company’s strategy was clear and only execution could make all the difference. My company nearly failed because of that lack of insight.
Nowadays I couldn’t disagree more with the quote, and I think it’s misleading for startup founders. It’s naive to think that strategy is a discipline only used by big companies and devised by overpaid consultants.
The strategy is the limit
Today I think about it this way: Strategy determines the magnitude of any endeavor and execution determines the degree of achievement.
Success = Strategy (1–∞) x Execution (0–1).
