The best startups have a culture that encourages a bit of lawless gunslingin’ — which is fitting because startups are a little like the Wild West of the business world, where dreams are chased, fortunes are made (or lost), and where chaos and conflict, if harnessed right, can be your trusty sidekick.
Now, before y’all dust off those holsters, let me clarify the lawless gunslinging thing: We’re not talking about literally poppin’ off rounds in the board room at high noon — that’s a little irresponsible. We’re championing the daring spirit, the trailblazing attitude, and the fearless determination required to motivate people to take our startups to uncharted territories.
And let’s get another thing straight. Gunslinging in this startup culture context is not to be confused with dick-swinging. I’ve seen plenty of that in my time working in the startup space. But we’re not about one-upping with macho bravado here. Nope. Keep ’em holstered, fellas.
We’re talking about the gunslinging that fosters true innovation, not just empty showboating, by keeping everyone at the edge of controlled chaos and healthy conflict. Think of it as the ability to shoot from the hip.
In the dynamic world of startups, death isn’t in the disorganization. Instead, it’s in stifling the messiness that sprouts innovation. As Scott Belsky puts it in his book, ‘The Messy Middle,’ “Imagination happens only when your mind has the freedom to run rampant.”
Think about it: If everyone walked in step, chanted the same hymn, and nodded in agreement all the time (yawn), where would the ‘next big thing’ at our startups come from? The status quo? We’d be screwed. Controlled chaos is the antidote to that dull predictability. It’s our freedom to run rampant.
For those who’ve dabbled in a bit of science, the Chaos Theory might ring a bell. Specifically, the Butterfly Effect — a core principle of chaos — suggests that changes in the initial conditions or the way a system is set in motion can have huge and unexpected consequences in the long run.