Photo Credit: http://moviemezzanine.com/repeat-viewings-conversation/
I’ve finally read Yvon Chouinard’s book Let My People Go Surfing. The book chronicles the development of one of the most enviable ‘conscious’ businesses in the world, the outdoor equipment and clothing company Patagonia. As a staunch environmentalist and reluctant (but very successful) businessman, Chouinard’s perspective is refreshing and eminently practical.
The bulk of the book speaks to the philosophies that underpin the operation of Patagonia. Obviously most lessons and reflections are directly applicable to a physical goods business but I always find many lessons cross industries. In fact Chouinard even specifically mentions the utility of borrowing ideas from other disciplines.
One point that really resonated with me was a reference to the old adage “measure twice and cut once”. It’s a lesson in caution. You get many chances to measure the fabric or wood but there is no taking it back once you’ve cut into your material.
Chouinard takes it further. He espouses doing the work right the first time, taking care with what he produces to eliminate obvious and avoidable errors.
Which got me thinking, when is caution smart and when is it counter-productive? I appreciate his point about attending to small things to make sure they are done right but this gets tricky when you add time pressure or other issues to the mix. Most business is happening at a speed where measuring twice feels like a luxury.
I recently belabored a point in a deal that we seemed to be overlooking. It sucked, I felt like a total wrench in the machine. But I have seen a decision under pressure lead to weeks of work too many times to let it happen under my watch anymore. What really sucks is making the wrong decision and having to deal with the aftermath.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...more haste less speed...be the tortoise and not the hare...a stitch in time saves nine. It’s easy to wax poetic but the real question is when should you actively slow a process down and risk a timeline?
Today the more likely caution is "slow down to speed up". It’s worth the investment of time to pause. It’s also the reason you have advisors and board directors, and use them, as it can be hard to find the time (or the inclination) to pause for our own benefit.
I think Chouinard’s point is to be sure you are ok with the costs of speed. Because there is always a cost. He talks about eroding consumers trust by not attending to the small things. In my world I worry about being so oriented to push code that you deliver beyond buggy software. Or negotiating a deal that comes back to bite you.
If we paused over everything we wouldn't be in business for long. My takeaway is to know what is important to you, your company and your strategy. Then you can start throwing wrenches in the machine. Or finding moments to pause and measure twice.