All teammates are imperfect, and the average action is not termination but coaching. One of the most counterproductive things that companies do is coach people to not judge their coworkers. Having an understanding of your coworkers’ performance means that you understand what they do, which is critical to making sure you collaborate with them effectively. People can disagree in meetings, but people should not be making judgements on their teammates in public: performance is public, performance management is private. Getting significant critical feedback from many people about a specific person is almost always a signal of underperformance. If you don’t know what they’re supposed to do, how can you make sure you’re working together to create a business outcome?
Stay SaaSyEveryone has more potential than they realize. Don’t shy away from providing tough feedback that challenges them to aim higher. Metrics are important but they should only support decision-making, not drive it. Trust that fun and delight are powerful drivers of success. Just as founders inject energy into their startups, you need to find what drives your passion and energy. Is it dissatisfaction with the status quo, a rivalry, or a desire to build something better? Disagreeing with someone might seem confrontational, but it builds trust when done constructively. Openness promotes healthier discussions and leads to better decisions. You need both a positional game (long-term strategy) and tactics (short-term wins). A well-designed interface doesn’t just make a product easier to use, it can literally make the difference between success and failure. If you’re feeling scared to launch something, reframe it as an experiment. By lowering the emotional stakes, you’ll be able to take risks and move faster without letting fear hold you back.
Tobi LütkeMost startups fail, even when the founders are smart. The galaxy produces many warm leads, but every step of the conversion funnel is brutally leaky, so it’s hard to convert to a sale. The failure of just one element is fatal so we should spend more time identifying and then addressing the biggest areas of risk. Completely crush a few areas to overcome risks and weaknesses. What would be the easiest profitable low-risk customer segment to target? Choose dentist offices over indie hackers. If you’re creating a startup on the side while you hold a day job, you should serve an audience who doesn’t want fast tech support by turning constraints into advantages: higher margin because you don't have support costs and freedom as you're not bound to a time zone nor language. The probability of anything is 50%: either it happens or it doesn’t. Pick games where the downside is 1x but the upside potential is 10x or 100x. Address the risky things first, learn from them, change because of them, and complete the rest of the project informed by them.
Jason CohenThe ultimate test of any strategy is results, even a perfectly crafted strategy has no inherent business value until execution proves its merit. Speed doesn’t come from rushing or cutting corners but from competence, skilled teams that have mastered their craft move faster because they know what works and can quickly iterate. When you commit to a deadline, make it the absolute priority and cut scope aggressively to ensure you can ship something. Growth teams can amplify success but cannot reverse declining product-market fit or competition eating your lunch.
Lenny Rachitsky