Startups in their early stages are the embodiment of “chaos” in itself.
The situation is constantly fluctuating and assigned duties are shifting every day. Even team members themselves have a high turnover rate! At times, the business itself completely flips over under the pretext of pivoting.
Adler’s Business Principles are an organized set of survival guidelines that outline how to outlast the chaos. First and foremost, we cover the grand principles.
1. You can do anything that’s not forbidden.
Be cautious and think things through if it’s something irreversible. Otherwise, just go for it and worry about it later.
2. Don’t strain yourself over business principles and just think of them as general guidelines.
Don’t hesitate to break principles when necessary.
3. Commit / De-commit
– Commit: Keeping promises (deadlines, clocking in/out, etc.)
– De-commit: Breaking promises (deadlines, clocking in/out, etc.)
– It’s ideal to always commit, but if it seems like you’re going to need to de-commit, let others know as soon as possible (at the very least, 30 minutes before).
– If there’s no response from the other party, you should always prepare alternative solutions and adjust accordingly.
4. Divergent R&R
– Don’t split hairs over in-between jobs that are in the gray area or in-between R&R tasks. Complete the task if you can, if not, at least bring it up for further discussion.
5. Think about it for 5 seconds, then ask questions.
Refer back to the organizational chart for a better understanding of members’ roles and ask appropriate, efficient questions.
