Every individual / organizational journey has to overcome or adapt to challenges in ways unique to itself


Ben Horowitz in Hard Thing about Hard Things speaks of having been brought up in a fairly conserved family and had to break off many barriers that conflicted with his experiences as a CEO.

From his humble upbringing, he lays out some of the challenges that his entrepreneurial journey had to overcome as he advanced.

Finding a deep connection with the author, I draw 6 lessons from Hard Thing about Hard Things.

Zero formulas

Circumstances within a startup / business will constantly evolve and as such it is best to adapt to the situations and adopt a mechanism that is dynamic for sustenance

Build.

Be ready to create something out of nothing. This stands out as a big pillar that informs how in business, most times our dreams conflict with reality and its during such times, one is expected to suck it up and find a way through it.

Shift your view points

As CEO of a startup, sorting out of issues is one of your obligations, this notwithstanding, sharing of problems with others internally / externally will allow others to assist you with different perspectives possible to your problem. If this doesn’t help, alas you’ll have someplace to vent out :)

Focus

Sticking to one’s /organization’s goals is very key to keep a company from shifting directions and keeping afloat especially during rough patches

Straightforwardness

Most companies go through moments that are quite tough and as the CEO, its your obligation to relay this information to your employees / stakeholders in the most direct form without lying about it.

Prioritize .

People, products and profits. This is the order recommended and elaborates on how a well catered for workforce is motivated to provide great goods / services to which customers will be satisfied. When this is the case satisfied customers means better sales which results to bigger profits.

“Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.” — Dale Carnegie