The Secret of Great CEOs: Hustle + Rigor

"Jesse, I can either get shit done or I can make you a pretty plan. Which do you want?"

A young GM was getting frustrated with me. Six months earlier, we acquired our first business and he was one of our standouts at Ampush. We put him in charge of running the business.

In the moment above, I responded, "Both. Great leaders do both."

Later that week, it didn't feel fair to him. He was doing his best and pushing hard. His heart was in the right place, but we just weren't seeing the results we wanted.

My co-founder, Nick Shah, and I put our heads together and discussed the best CEO/founders we knew. They were smart, yes. But also decisive.

They were very contemplative, but then quick to take action. We realized they exhibited both "hustle," as we liked to call it, but also a word from our Wall Street days… "Rigor."

Nick had a lightning flash, "Let’s call it, ‘Entrepreneurial Rigor!’"

If we ever write a book together on business culture, that term will likely be the title. Let's break it down:

Doing things quickly. Asking how to cut cycle times down. The whole pitch of a startup is it can get done in a week what takes big companies a month or even a year!

Speed is a value and a skill. It inherently includes a bias to action (because you can't be fast if you don't take action).

Fancy people call this “divergent thinking.” It's seeing things that aren't there yet. It's thinking "outside the box." It’s generating lots of ideas or solutions to problems that present. It shows up in tons of different ways.

For example, I am very creative with problem-solving, via ideas. My wife is very creative in traditionally creative things (design, art, music).

Saying something others won't. Putting yourself out there. Sending the cold email. Displaying an almost naive confidence or courage with your perspective or actions.

I always call this "pulling a rabbit out of hat." Can you make more with less using a clever tactic or idea? Can you overcome a challenge in an unconventional way?

Last, but not least. Are you resilient? Do you keep pressing on, even when a million things are going wrong? Here's a fun Easter egg: Go to relentless.com. Are you relentless?

In your mind, you're probably picturing Richard Branson, yourself or someone you know that oozes entrepreneurial energy.

Do you love numbers? When you are problem-solving, do you ask for data? Are you comfortable with mental math and solving problems in your head?

Think of those classic consulting questions where they ask you how many golf balls fit in a bus. It’s not about the right answer, it’s to see if you "play" with problem-solving.

Can you break down a problem into component parts? Does it have structure and steps?

If one part changes, do you know how that impacts other parts? Can you think in variables and equations? Can you get to the "right" answer?

Do you take time and energy to think about what's next? Whether in an hour, a day or a year.

Do you get clear on priorities, why they matter and then live them?

Can you stick with the plan? Follow the steps? Not get distracted easily? Know when to reconsider versus when to stay on track?

Do you take time to digest learnings and iterate? Do you pause and ask what worked and what didn't? Then incorporate that into your next actions?

The BEST CEOs/founders and employees do both at all times. We created this slide for our Ampush team.

Now when you look at this 2x2, don't despair if you or many on your team are not in the top right quadrant (i.e. entrepreneurial rigor).

This is ultimately a COACHING tool, and how we used it.

All of this can be taught.

Many folks will have low hustle and high rigor — specially the bright, analytical types.

We call this "analysis paralysis." For these folks, the question is: How do you increase their hustle?

My favorite coaching tip here is to convince them that the ONLY way to get real data is to DO something.

Also, show them how easy it is to DO stuff versus THINK about stuff. Once they see this, they often start with doing and THEN analyzing.

What about the "shoot from the hip" folks? There are two subtypes in my experience:

1. They CAN’T do the analysis (easily/well)

2. They don’t see its value

There is some overlap here, as well. (I.e. a lot of people who can't do the analysis don't see its value).

I try to solve #2 first. Show how pausing to consider a few things helps avoid wasted time or money.

Sometimes I will ask very simple questions to force this kind of thinking. “If you could only do 1 thing this week, what would it be? WHY?”

Another simple version is, "What do you recommend we do?"

#1, can’t do the analysis, is tougher. I would likely avoid this type of person in hiring. But if I was stuck, I would try to keep the analysis elements VERY high level.

Even at the highest level, you can break down a PnL into a few buckets, with a few drivers to help explain why to take what actions!

As I said before, the most important takeaway in yourself and your team is, first, self-awareness, and then coaching up these skills.

Everyone can have entrepreneurial rigor, and it won't come from a classroom setting or a teaching module. 

No, it will come from how you run meetings, how you outline your expectations around deliverables, how you set deadlines and budgets.

How you RUN your company (along with some specific feedback) will shape everyone into having both of these powerful traits.

Have a great week!

jesse

P.S. If you’re wondering about the Relentless.com backstory, Mental Floss wrote up the fun background on it.