A list is not a strategy

A list is not a strategy.

In a startup, mistaking a list for a strategy can be fatal.

A list is the opposite of a strategy: A strategy involves tradeoffs among good ideas.

But you know - 90% of a startup's growth comes from 10% of their ideas. You don’t need to do all the things, you need to find the right things.

Obvious, right?

So why do we even make lists, in this context?

A list happens when you’re not sure what to do, so you try a bit of everything.

Lists make us feel safe. If we try all the things, surely one will work? And if not, at least we can say “We tried everything on the list.”

Big companies love lists, but startups can’t afford them.

So how do you decide what not to do? And how do you move away from a culture of trying to do everything?

How to turn a list into a strategy

When somebody hands you a list, ask them to cut it down to three items based on a single criteria: If this works, how big can it be?

Spoiler alert: They’ll choose the wrong three. People pick things they’re comfortable doing, or things that can be done with limited resources, rather than the absolute most impactful things. (The most impactful things will probably be distasteful for some reason, or you’d already be doing them.)

Therefore, ask them to help you understand why those are the right three items and show you the math. (As an example, here’s my post about how to prioritize the six marketing channels.)

Spend time re-cutting the list to the most impactful ideas.

As for resource constraints, big ideas often need big investments that you can’t afford - money or engineering. Before you dismiss a big idea, validate it with a minimum viable test to justify further investment. “What has to be true for this to be a good idea?” and “What's the quickest way we can validate that assumption?”

That should get you down to a top 3. Congratulations, that’s the easy part. But it won’t last. The hard part is to get everyone to stop doing the other 97 things.

How to dismantle a culture of lists

Conscientious people want to do long lists of things, it feels like progress, and they kind of work, plus they’re “best practices.” But they distract you from the big stuff.

It’s a constant battle, but here’s 3 tips:

1. Give them explicit permission to stop doing the other things. Make a “not doing” list.

2. Be the example: Talk about the things you’d like to do but you’re not doing.

3. Ask them about those top 3 projects every week. (You don’t get what you expect, you get what you inspect.)

If you’d like more help focusing your team on the most impactful work, we can help you to do exactly that.

I hope this helps!