http://firstround.com/review/give-away-your-legos-and-other-commandments-for-scaling-startups/
Embrace the "Give Away Your Legos" Philosophy
The central metaphor of the article is that in a scaling startup, your job is like playing with Legos. Initially, you have a lot of Legos and can build whatever you want. As the company grows and new people are hired, you have to share your Legos. The natural instinct is to hold on to what you've built, to micromanage, or to feel threatened. The key learning point is to fight this instinct. To grow personally at the same pace as the company, you must be willing to give away your responsibilities, the "Lego towers" you've built, to others. This allows you to move on to building bigger and better things.
Understand That Scaling is Counterintuitive and Uncomfortable
Scaling a company is an inherently chaotic and stressful process. It's filled with ambiguity and constant change. A key takeaway is to recognize that the emotional turmoil you and your team feel is normal. Leaders should actively communicate this to their teams. When employees start asking questions like, "Why did we hire that person?" or "Is So-and-so taking over my project?" it's a sign that it's time to talk about the "give away your Legos" philosophy.
Actionable Commandments for Scaling
- Define Your Culture and Vision: Make a list of the qualities you want your company to embody and write down your vision for the change you want to make in the world.
- Overcommunicate: Constantly communicate your culture and vision through all available channels. You can't overdo it.
- Hire for Quality, Not Speed: Don't lower your hiring bar just to grow faster. The consequences will be felt later.
- Fire People When Necessary: Don't delay the inevitable when it's clear someone isn't the right fit for the role or the company.
- Hire and Develop Leaders: Bring on amazing leaders as early as you can and invest in their growth as the company scales.
- Prioritize Principles Over Process: In a rapidly changing environment, rigid processes can break. Focus on shared principles to guide decision-making.
- Continuously Give Away Your Legos: And encourage everyone around you to do the same. This is essential for both individual and company growth.