Andy Lykens

Innovating and operating through growth

Andy

What to do next?

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If you’re lucky enough to wake up in a new day you have to decide what to do next. You keep on deciding until the day ends. As days add up, so do the actions we take and the decisions we’ve made.

Over time we spend significant amounts of our lives doing things – some we’re really proud of, some we’re probably less proud of. Sometimes we choose to do the easy thing or the fun thing, while other times we do something challenging, or new.

Making decisions and taking action can help you start to ‘look like’ something different. For example, if someone spent 3 years working at a Starbucks, you could probably observe them on any of those days and they’d ‘look like’ a barista. Not just in what they’re wearing, but in what they’re doing, talking about, who they’re spending time around, and so on.

If one day our barista wakes up and decides to spend one less hour at Starbucks that day, and one more hour calling a congressperson about why Los Angeles shouldn’t host the 2028 Olympics, they may start to ‘look like’ an activist. At first this would be an hour of their whole life. And then 2. And then 3. And then – well, you know how to count.

We can see how, slowly, a decision and some action can start to reshape a person. They may not like this activism and choose to spend an hour on something else the next day. Or they may decide to double their hours. Either way, the decisions add up, and momentum builds. One day they may not ‘look like’ a barista much at all.

Too often we think about change as binary – on or off. Today I am a barista, tomorrow I am an activist. But that’s not quite right, because most of the things we do need patience, and practice. Most things worth doing take time. We need to decide to see ourselves as something new, and for most people it’s hard to see how you’d jump from barista to activist, and much easier to spend the next hour doing something a little different.

The next time you are expecting a binary outcome, remember it is unlikely you will feel completely different just by doing something new once. Instead, simply change the answer to the question: what to do next?

Acronyms

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It’s possible to dizzy people by stringing together acronyms like paper dolls. They are faster to use than an actual team name or tool (most of the time). You may even feel like you have more cache around the office because you’re always using acronyms that not everyone in the room knows. And of course there’s the typing – the countless key strokes saved by quickly hammering out a few letters instead of a few words.

It’s also possible to avoid acronyms, especially in situations when you can’t be entirely confident everyone will understand them.

In the first scenario you save a little time, and feel like an insider. In the second, you can be more clear and inclusive in your communications.

You choose.

Speaking the language

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When visiting a foreign country with a language other than your mother tongue, it’s usually a good idea to spend some time learning key phrases. For example, when friends come to Italy most people know the word for “Thank you” (“grazie,” pronounced grat-zee-ay). I usually teach them 3 more words: vorrei questo/quello (pronounced vorr-ay-ee kway-stoe/kway-low). This simple phrase is a polite way to say “I would like this/that” and, in conjunction with pointing, is so handy when you want food, a souvenir, or the quickest way to a restroom.

These simple words go a long way to demonstrate that you care enough to be polite, and are trying to meet people where they are. In fact, you can totally butcher the phrases and people will appreciate you trying. This isn’t because you’re some genius, or because you’re doing something exceedingly well, it’s because you’re doing something that most people don’t even attempt. They’d rather not do the work and have people come to them.

When it comes to work, we have the same opportunity. Not only is there common language amongst our colleagues, but we also have tools, workflows and personalities to understand too. Each of these things requires more effort than the equivalent of showing up and speaking your native tongue in a foreign land.

In all of these situations, between the internet and tour guides (knowledgeable colleagues) it is possible to learn almost anything you need to know in order to meet people halfway.

Are you impressed by someone who’s great with pivot tables? There’s a YouTube video to help you collaborate better. Want to know what the acronym means? Speak up in the meeting (chances are everyone who doesn’t use it every day forgot too). Not sure the best way to integrate business units? Ask the team leads.

So the next time you’re attempting to do pretty much anything, ask yourself: what simple thing can I learn that will set me apart as a conscientious human?

Do it for the algorithm

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Get lots of likes, clicks, and link-backs. And shares, shares are important for network effects.

Definitely don’t ask people what they think of the result – and if they tell you anyway, just ignore it. Feel free to ignore the tradeoffs too. Only apologize if you have to. Definitely avoid responsibility at all costs.

Forget about the person that needs it. Forget about what’s good for the team. Don’t do it because it will make the product better. And that vision you started with? Who cares.

Do it at the right time, with the right link, and the right keywords. Do it to be the top hit in search.

Make it faster. More swiping. Less thinking. Shorter. Catchier. Easier. Make sure notifications are enabled.

Do it for the algorithm.

So the algorithm can sell more ads.

What are you squeezing in?

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Is it a meeting? An email? Is it getting your full attention? Are you doing it because you have 4 minutes before your Lyft gets here? Are you responding with your opinion, or did you do the legwork?

Are you squeezing in a vacation? A hike? A walk around the block? Does it feel like you shouldn’t be doing it? Do you feel guilty for enjoying it? Do you feel better because you squeezed in an email in the meantime?

Is it a family dinner? A date? Drinks with a friend? Are you squeezing in time with someone you care about? A FaceTime with mom?

We are constantly pulled in different directions, with activities in our lives bleeding into each other at every moment if we let them. There’s always an opportunity to put something down, set it aside, or resign ourselves to the fact that it is literally not possible to show up like we want if we take on this additional thing.

Squeezing it in is a signal that our plate is already full, and that maybe, we should squeeze it out instead.

Differentiation and statistics

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You would be hard pressed to go through a day in your life without bumping into statistics. Most products and companies you interact with are built because those companies are very good at figuring out what works for most people. Apple discontinues iPhone sizes because most people don’t want the small one.

But at some point we will be outliers within the realm of a given statistical model. Maybe you’re a size 15 shoe or you really like the idea of having a smaller iPhone. It’s at these times when we might feel frustrated. It’s hard to find shoes when you’re a size 15, especially if you live somewhere that people have statistically smaller feet. You’re stuck if they discontinue the phone that’s right for you because you have small hands.

At exactly these times, feeling seen is important. It creates the differentiation that we love about a product, a service, or a community. It gives people a chance with big feet or small hands a chance to get something that feels like its just for them. They probably tell their friends about how great it is too.

The catch is that as companies attract people by differentiation, they start to grow. If growth is a company goal, they need to tailor their offering to more and more people. More and more people who are less likely to have big feet or small hands.

Because as the company grows, they have to start making shoes in more sizes. This makes sense (because you can only sell so many size 15 shoes), and causes internal trade-offs. Designing those new shoes, marketing them, distributing them, providing customer service for them – all of this eats up resources that may at a previous point have been available for big-feet shoes.

And so the target market become outliers, and become dissatisfied, maybe moving on to a new differentiator or accepting something that is pretty good, instead of great. Certainly not telling their friends about it.

Who wins in this scenario? Probably not the people with big feet. Also probably not the people with “normal” sized feet because let’s face it, the new shoes aren’t for them either, they’re for everyone – just wearable enough by the most people possible. The company may win for a period, at least until new differentiators crop up and eat into market share.

The more growth-oriented the current players are, the more opportunity we have to create something that starts out as differentiated. But trying to balance differentiation while growing fast is the rub. It requires remembering that statistics aren’t the same as individuals, and that more growth isn’t the same as product-market fit.