Thinking long term is a luxury with startups. If you have anyone who specializes in “strategy”, a government relations arm, an obscure consultant, or anyone who is thinking too far into the future -- you are doomed. You’re focusing on the wrong altitude.
This seems counterintuitive with what we normally hear -- the founder who is always focused on his or her vision is the one who rides the storm. Sure, but this is mostly a vision that needs to be thought through beforehand and strategy is not an isolated thing done in a vacuum but a lot of how you respond to things in real time. To write out a strategy in a cushy room and then present it, strikes me as juvenile. Instead, a strategy is more or less powered by a philosophy and general guidelines on how to react to things. But to think that the academic who writes the strategy while being away from the heat of battle will be effective, is the longings of someone who is equally delusional and inexperienced. The general with skin in the game, devising what’s best for his unit while on the battlefield has clearer focus than the academic who looks at a paper map in the comfort of their domain.
Raw, honest feedback in realtime is essential, in partnerships of all kind. If you are in a relationship, never go to bed angry. In business, if you play an active role in influencing the price of the company's value, you must give that feedback early and often.
Of course, there is a time and place for when and where you should be giving feedback. For example, there are times when you should approach something in a non-combative way, and there are times where you need to flip a table and scream "enough is enough!"
Accountability is very big in startups. We need people to be held accountable for what they're working on. Everyone needs to have skin in the game but they also need to be responsible for any success or failure.
- Survive → Survive as a company (at least 12 months of runway)
- Optimize → Make continued improvements (improve margins)
- Expand → Create new products (diversify revenue streams)
- Strategize → Strategy & long-term vision (>1 year roadmap)