Crumbling under pressure
So, It has been 3 and a half months since I started my entrepreneurial journey, and it is really exciting to see it for what it is. I have a lot of exciting moments each week along with some disappointing ones. So today, I rant about crumbling under pressure.
90% of startups fail within the first 3 years. We have all heard that statistic and realised the horror and fear that founders have while starting up. What are the reasons for this?
Fights between the management circle, running out of money, inability to generate revenue or catch funding are a lot of reasons. Crumbling under the pressure though, seems to be behind many of those reasons.
Consider adding two numbers 17532 and 452387 in your mind. You can do that? Great! Genius! Now start running with your arms behind your back and remembering to jump repeatedly after exactly 3 seconds and then do that sum again. Seems difficult? Impossible? Exactly.
Starting up is a lot like that Temple Run game where you are running ahead and failure (or bankruptcy!) is running behind your startup, and you have to make all your decisions while on the run! I recently gave a talk at an Engineering college in India (My alma mater) where I talked about the famous saying about entrepreneurship-
I made a point to tell the students to think about two main points before jumping off of that cliff-
1) You have to be the bloody best at assembling planes or you have to recruit the bloody best on your way down.
2) You have to do it in the few seconds or so before you hit the ground!
I realised that day that I missed another important point which I should have added-
3) You have to have nerves of Vibranium and be able to take pressure better than batman!
Jokes apart, I realise that how important it is to not crumble under pressure. Because I was on the verge of it.
Pressure forces us to make bad decisions, have poor productivity, and feel like blaming someone else for our problems. But we have to rise above that. Ever seen the forced and unforced errors in tennis? Yes it really is that bad!
I stopped working in my forte and picked up all the responsibilities I had as the leader of a startup. I didn’t enjoy all of them, nor did I feel fulfilled and productive doing them all.I found a way out using the famous rule of 3 Ds -Do, Defer, Delegate.
I now delegate work to others in my team when I feel that I can trust them with it. I try to work in my forte and to enjoy my work since they trust me to do what I do best and they trust my vision. And I am shining once again!
So don’t succumb to pressure just yet. Keep your head down in your work and just keep on trudging, walking, running ahead! Don’t let pressure halt your progress.
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