Eric Ries is somewhat of a rockstar among software engineers and entrepreneurs. Which is to say… “relatively obscure.” ;)
Kidding of course. I attended his talk at MIT yesterday and learned plenty from his accounts of managing different software startups. But I think it’s important to note that his “lessons learned” apply beyond the scope of technology and business.
Think about this: the perspective of a recent college graduate is very similar to that of a startup founder.
- What is your key value?
- What opportunities should you pursue?
- What does life look like in 5 years?!
I’ve gone through both situations in the past year and a half, and can attest that they have a tangible similarity. So here’s what I wish I knew 18 months ago:
The true metric of success is learning. When you know the problem and you know the solution, success is measured by your ability to address the problem with the solution. Simple.
But when you don’t know the problem and you don’t know the solution… then success is measured by what you learn. In the lean startup, that means understanding the needs of the customer. For a graduate, that means understanding the needs of his immediate pool of opportunities.
Test traditional assumptions… and test your own. Traditionally, software is updated one big batch at a time over a process that takes months of preparation. Eric has his team update 50 times a day, and found that it was a better (albeit controversial) way to achieve success (see above).
Most of us consider ourselves individuals with free will, but I find that this is often not the case. Many people “go with the flow” and defer to conventions, whether out of fear or a feeling of obligation. But that doesn't mean traditional is better.
On the flipside, the individuals who are bold enough to challenge tradition in the first place are often self-assured to the point of fault. So there needs to be a certain component of doublethink involved – where you are 100% confident in your success but humble enough to “pivot” and change course.
Applied to our dear graduate, should he accept that golden ticket to law school or a job offer? Is it something he wants to do or feel like he "should" do? And can he keep grounded enough in the process to continue learning and adjusting?
Finally, good systems are beautiful. Rough Eric paraphrase: “For many of us in startups, rules and regulations seem like the inefficient artifacts of large corporations. But really, rules represent discipline. A system exists to make the process more efficient.”
Not all systems achieve that goal, of course. But a good system is essential to producing consistent results, consistent progress. How you build that system, though, is up to you. I remember I had a beast of a time management system in college. Multiple colors. Obscure symbols. Important sounding deadlines.
Today I just use post it notes. But it's the only thing that keeps me productive during the day... A good system.
That’s my $.02 on Lean Philosophy.
