“The best thing founders can do is subtraction. It’s much, much, much easier to add things than it is to remove things. Adding things is a lot more expensive than removing things. However, it requires some measure of bravery and risk-taking.” - Tobi Lutke
Let's examine a handful of embraceable concepts (not the entire conversation:
"Keep the most important thing the most important thing." Know the most important thing to work on it.
"What's the most important thing you can work on?"
He calls non-founder-led companies, "Professionally-managed companies." We don't 'found' basketball so we should manage professionally.
How do companies become average? "Reversion to the mean." Do we want to be average, like everyone else?
"Everything a company does is to try to beat reversion to the mean."
"Legitimacy is underappreciated."
Increase deposits into our account of legitimacy.
He explains our hesitancy to eliminate elements we invested time and emotion into. This is a variation of the 'sunk cost' principle.
What doesn't take risk? "Do the same thing everyone else does...I don't see value in doing everything the same as everyone else."
What two areas would I increase in practice?
- Scrimmaging
- Shooting (there is never enough)
- Game planning (however limited that might be)
- End of practice free throws (time-benefit assessment means that has to become homework.)
Lagniappe. Reality.
You can’t avoid the process.
— Kevin DeShazo (@KevinDeShazo) November 13, 2022
You can’t avoid the sacrifice.
You can’t avoid the commitment.
You can’t avoid the discipline.
The work is the work. It takes what it takes.
