"I am not uncertain" 'Dollar' Bill Stearn, on ‘BILLIONS’
When I work with startup CEOs, we talk often about confidence.
Confidence is the flywheel of the startup CEO, the momentum that drives them to keep moving forward, no matter what. The dictionary defines confidence as
certainty of an outcome
–– also trust
, belief
,
conviction.
But there’s never much certainty in a startup; it’s too dynamic and fluid. Your decisions have to be adaptable as situations constantly change. Covid has proven that for many business leaders as the world changed several times during 2020.
For an individual, there is always certainty about some things. It’s different for everyone, but CEOs use those areas of certainty to build out their confidence into a wider sustainable business initiative. They know what hey want. They keep it simple.
What are you really good at? What do you know for sure? Often startup founders are successful because they build something that they need for something else, and accidentally discover a bigger opportunity. They’re certain about what they need, what the world needs, and they usually build a very simple solution that they totally understand. That’s starting with 2 certainties –– pretty good!
Slack started as a simple communication tool for use inside a gaming startup. Google started as a PhD. dissertation. Woz built the first Apple computer as a circuit board for his own use. All of these early founders were very certain about what they wanted and how to minimise uncertainty in the build. They didn’t overthink it and add things they weren’t certain of.
As a CEO you don’t usually have such simplicity. Things get complicated along the way. But always look for your areas of certainty; they will lead you to the right answers.