The last two weeks were amazingly hectic and physically taxing. Most days meant sleeping for 1-2 hr post the day job and staying awake until the sun came up to make critical product decisions with partners and communicate them to our overseas development team. It has all been quite a feat, but I can confidently say working to create value for my business gave me joyous flow and that made all of this was a lot of fun.
The struggle was actually being at the day job and addressing the egos and politics of the corporate work place. At the corporate workplace people aren’t in it for final value to customers. For management, advancement of personal ego drives most business conversations and processes. Both managers and direct reports act like ingratiating yes-men and women when communicating to their own managers. Innovation is low if it exists at all, due to the high fear of business risk in general and being zapped by one’s manager in particular.
By contrast my startup meetings with my partners are driven by the purpose of creating an offering that adds value for our customers. Everything is fair for discussion, everyone speaks up and risks disagreement since the good of the business is more important than personal ego. Conflicts get resolved much faster than I have ever seen in the corporate world since we all trust that what the other is saying comes from a place of strong belief in the merits of an idea, so we actively work to build the best possible solution.
After tasting this, why would I or anyone else ever go back to corporate America with its egos and politics that kill innovation and work satisfaction?
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