Let’s talk about the long, sloooooooow drift that screws every big company eventually.

When we start a business we have to find product-market fit or we fail. We cannot succeed without creating something people want that's competitive with alternatives.

But over time, as we grow, we develop infrastructure: technological, operational, and social. We also accumulate resources: a bigger balance sheet, a recognized brand, and a customer base who is mostly satisfied, and probably quite inert.

Now the creep begins. Decisions are no longer taken based on what the market demands of us — we're insulated from the harshness of the environment, so we start to do what’s easiest for us.

“We can’t add that feature because our tech doesn’t support it.”
“Yeah, that’s too politically sensitive to discuss.”
“We know this won’t fly with customers, but we’ve committed to the program.”

The goal is no longer product:market fit. It’s product:organization fit. And now it’s just a matter of time before disaster strikes.

This means a primary leadership task in any growing or sizable company is as simple as it is difficult: to stop the drift by any means necessary, or reverse it if it’s set in. It needs to be ruthlessly expunged because it spreads so damn fast.

Asking a simple question can help: Are we doing this because it’s easiest for us or because it creates the most value for our customers?

They aren’t mutually exclusive of course, but if you keep putting yourself first, eventually you’ll find yourself last.

See this post on LinkedIn