Laser focus. This phrase was stated by
Pete Flint, and all the leaders at Trulia for many years. There is always so much opportunity, and you have to keep your eyes fixed on where you are going, and the key outcomes you are pursuing. This requires clear communication, vision, and alignment—paired with transparency and shoulder to shoulder leadership. Sami, Heather, Sean, and Kelly, are the core team that hired me at Trulia.
Create the problem. Too often ideas can die before they are born. How? Well people bring up all the problems, and “ifs” that could happen. It’s such a nuanced thing, because some of those problems only come from mass adoption, or success metrics—like actual usage and paying customers. Don’t kill ideas that have potential, based on fear. Fear is never a good decision factor, ask yourself instead, “what’s the worst that can happen?” And work from that vantage point. Often, only by driving the idea forward, to its worst outcome, can you see around corners that you were blind to. Arthur, Andrew, Russel, and Michael.
Do what you said you would do. Never fall short of promises. Over communicate. How do you avoid this trap? Under promise and over deliver. Clients will remember, and I’m grateful that many of my partners have been with me—for every company I’ve brought to market. That’s not by accident. It’s a result of integrity.
Vincent-Charles Hodder,
Gabriel Damant-Sirois, my friend
Audrey Whittington, and truly something all of my leaders have displayed.
Clear vision, culture, mission. Every company I’ve tenured at has had an early culture, vision, and mission. From BOFFI, and IMPACT, to Eat, Hustle, Play or Love as a culture foundation—and my favorite now, Joy. Choose the culture you want to build. It’s a fragile thing that evolves, but if you don’t nurture it, it can go badly. Tracy Lawrence and Sami stand out to me, Tracy now coaches leaders and Sami built another Unicorn with strong culture—no surprise
! Find your people—you’re not alone. Each company had core people that didn’t complain, moan, or talk negatively about what we were building. They were all in, and could see past the startup challenges, they had grit, hustle and stuck in when it got hard. These are the ones that will be there, through the churn, and into the future. You know who you are! Today, my cofounders
Ishtyaq and
Mukund are my rocks.