Do You Have A Compass?
More sporadic thoughts on when company values matter.
As company-builders, we hear often that values matter.
But often, they feel like words on a page — established with great care, however easily forgotten.
At Garden Labs, we work with companies (some startups, some publicly traded cos) who are at inflection points.
They are scaling after a major funding round, pivoting strategically, restructuring for more efficient growth, turning over leadership, transforming culturally. These all have the potential to be company and org-defining moments, where teams emerge with renewed energy to continue the ever-winding journey that is ahead.
Or, they have the potential to bring on immense churn, burnout and loss of momentum.
One observation that’s jumped out at me over the last year is this:
Companies with a clear set of values navigate inflections with more clarity and conviction than those without.
Here’s what I’m seeing…
Funding, labor and technical paradigm shifts have been the incredibly disruptive concoction of the last 18 months. Most agree that the next 24 months will be even more chaotic.
In many cases, companies are turning to advisors (👋) and investors to seek counsel.
While founder / CEO instincts define the map for how to navigate, I’m finding those with clear values also have a handy compass for navigating around the noise (bad advice), and grounding themselves in moments when the sky is raining down around them.
In these tricky moments:
Are they being brave and principled? or fearful and reckless?
Are they executing with care and foresight, or are they creating more problems than opportunities?
Are they taking input to guide them on their path, or allowing recency bias to determine their fate?
In all cases, these are risky turning points. But those leaders with strong compasses (i.e. values) seem to navigate these big decisions (and all of the small decisions that follow) in a manner that is more decisive. Less twitchy. They also achieve real alignment across their teams, even on intensely controversial topics — and they proceed with caution.
So while you may not need a compass everyday – when you’re lost in the woods, I can bet you’re thrilled that you have one.
Generated with Llama 3
XO,
Amanda