“Generals always prepare to fight the last war”, George Clemenceau said. They’re basking in the glory of former victories. They’re mulling over the reasons battles were lost. They’re ready to do better when the it’s time for action again. The action in the war that’s over.
In business setting it might look slightly less intense. No lives are at stake, after all. Well, one certainly is. The life of the company. Keeping abreast of industry trends, competitor moves and technologies is indeed vital.
Let’s look at continuous learning vs tunnel vision dichotomy using no less militant but epic narrative. And what can be more epic than “The Lord of the Rings”? Its character cast offers various examples to support both cases.
Ever wanted to do business in Middle-earth? You already do! Just make sure to choose the role models right.
I have forgotten much that I thought I knew…
Life is stranger than fiction. Life consists of halftones, where books polarise and exaggerate to drive the message home. Sometimes such a vivid picture is a much needed wake-up call. Applies to running a company too.
Take Denethor, the last Ruling Steward of Gondor. In addition to his A-class parenting in clearly preferring one sone over the other, he’s poster child for tunnel vision. Poisoned by despair, Denethor was confident of Gondor’s eventual demise and couldn’t be proven otherwise. He stopped accepting Gandalf’s council and alienated his younger son. The visions in Palantir didn’t turn him to evil but fed his defeatist views aplenty.
Startups and scaleups struggle for survival might not look as epic as Siege of Gondor. The consequences of their failures are as drastic, though. For founders, employees, and investors alike.
Even with the best market fit, the founders who’re stuck in their ways are a loose cannon for internal and external stakeholders. Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank names startuppers, too stubborn and unwilling to change, as a common feature of his money-losing deals. “They can’t get out of their own way,” he says. “They won’t listen to anybody else.”
…and learned again much that I had forgotten
Let’s move now to the sleepy Shire. Frodo Baggins starts as a naive hobbit, grown up on Bilbo’s tales of his adventures. He’s a troublemaker but of an innocent kind. Until the day his wake-up call comes in a form of Gandalf’s arrival with the news that the ring Bilbo had left him was the most dangerous and powerful artefact in Middle-earth.
Throughout his journey, Frodo shows great adaptability. He learns to rely on his friends, face moral dilemmas, and overcome internal struggles with the Ring’s corrupting influence. His ability to adapt emotionally and physically helps him carry out the seemingly impossible task of destroying the Ring.
This transformation might not be of the sexy supernova-type. It’s a gradual and mostly painful process of trial and error. Yet it forges the character and creates a rock solid foundation for future growth. It also builds resilience in the world where anything could happen. And not only in Middle-earth.
In Skynova’s survey, in addition to the most common startup failure reasons, the top success advice is provided as well. Out of top ten recommendations, three concern adaptability and willingness to change. The most common one is to learn from mistakes, with 79% votes. Listening to customer feedback (and incorporating it) holds the bronze with 69%. Altering product when necessary is the sixth with almost half the votes.
Listening to signals and adjusting accordingly proves to be a better strategy than sticking to one path or rush between multiple. Startups having pivoted once or twice show 3.6x better user growth and raise 2.5x more money, than those who scale more than twice or don’t scale at all, quotes Forbes.
For even the very wise cannot see all ends
Epic fantasy novels as well as space operas are populated by the same people like you and me. They show the hero’s journey in a hyperbolised way to shine a new light on navigating the challenges. Regardless whether personal or professional.
Retro is one of the proven ways to move a company forward. Ruminating on the days, when financing was more available and competition was scarce, isn’t. To prepare for the future challenges drop trying to control everything. Step on the path of continuos learning. And fill your team with people, who think the same way.
Quotes from “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien
