Build to last longer

Today I read an excellent article on building weatherproof companies. The author focuses on founder CEOs and advices them to think about longevity through learning fast, strong culture, real board / advisors, an excellent execution cadence, and handling the monsters of the mind.

There are two principles I had held high in my work – work with long term quality in mind and work hard. Quality applies to the work we do, engagement and relationships we have, and results we desire for. I firmly believe Quality and Productivity can yield a level of sustainable agility. In a startup, we often hear the need for hustle and hack besides the vision. Quality underlies these efforts, be it hacking or hustling. Often a challenge is to hold a long term vision.

Most successful companies are born and nurtured with a vision to transform the world in some small way first. And gradually they grow up to address more problems as their capabilities and market success grows. Adaptation is another key aspect that helps companies sustain over long periods of time.

Here are some ways I can apply the lessons from the article in my life:

1. Continue to learn; also improve learning speed and quality. To learn a new area (Marketing) now I am signed up for an excellent course from Wharton Professors teaching me Introduction to Marketing.
2. Deepen humility, respect, and gratitude. There are many mentors I had found in the past year, who had trusted me and provided me guidance. I am grateful to them for the opportunity and lessons.
3. Keep a regular cadence of execution and where required help create the cadence.
4. Pay attention to the gut and be data driven (slays the monster for sure).

Understandably the companies getting funded seemingly may take longer. That should not be a surprise, given that in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a norm that companies took 5-15 years before they went public or got sold. The aberration called 1990s Internet era and follow on 2000s may have inspired us towards shorter term success. Irrespectively we need to build for lasting longer, growing relationship for the long term, and develop quality products.