Burn the Boats!

I think many of us have heard the legend of Hernando Cortez and how he captured the amazing wealth from Mexico that had so long evaded other European conquerers. If not, you can read all about it here: http://www.tonybrownonline.com/rts/index.asp?action=page&name=16525&siteid=1421

The main thrust of the story is that if you leave an avenue of escape open to yourself than you will not fight as hard for your prize. “Make or break”; “Plunder or parish”; “Do or die”. This is the message that Cortez sent to his men when he said “Burn the boats! Because if we're going home, we're going home in their boats!”

How do you think Cortez's men felt? They were facing a challenge that no one had succeeded at before. In fact, there was overwhelming proof that they were going to fail because so many had before. They were going to succeed or die. Now, how would they have felt if they had known that the boats were offshore waiting to take them home safely? Maybe a risky battle move would not be tried? Maybe they wouldn't give 110%? I think we all get it. Cortez knew what he wanted and knew he wouldn't get it if he and his men were left a safe getaway.

How does the Cortez legend apply to startup management? It is the single-most important energy for you and your team to embody for success.

How do you get that feeling? Well, for starters, how about investing everything that you have? If you know that you face financial ruin if you fail to deliver a product to market, how will you behave? Will you stay up late? Will you forgo the upgraded TV to keep afloat a bit longer? IMPORTANT: will you be extra choosy about who you hire into your company? Lets talk about that one for a moment. If your savings depended on who you hired wouldn't you want to hire in those who would work hard like you will?

What else about those that we hire? If Cortez was the only one who couldn't get back on the boat would he have only burned his? NO WAY. He burned everybody's boat. You must create a situation where all participants feel invested and you only want those that will fight to the end. Partial ownership is one way. Ownership gives a great incentive for victory, though you still have to be careful because if someone doesn't believe in the cause they could just be there for the paycheck. Another way is separation.

Is your endeavor an effort for a larger company? Are the engineers employees of the larger company? Break the ties. Move locations. Make everyone uncomfortable. “This is our new office. It is small and dingy. This is what we are affording to stay open. If we don't hit each and every milestone with quality these doors may be locked the next time you show up for work.” Who would want to work in this atmosphere and with this kind of pressure? I do! And so do many others.

Startups are cool! We get to do things and take responsibilities that larger companies don't always allow. It is fast paced and exciting. There is an element of danger. Some people thrive on this. A lot of folks don't. Pick your crew well, inspire them with the promise of shared wealth, and BURN THE BOATS!