We are living in a fast-paced world. New-age companies like tinder, Amazon, Slack, Uber has it in their DNA. Pace is the mantra for Gig-economy. At the same time, delivery agents and warehouse workers are turning into slaves.
Build fast and break things are the new age startup, growth strategy. Hire and fire are the new norms, humans are mere resources. We want to ship a new product, add 50 developers, and deliver it ASAP. Everything is just on paper and numbers, be it growth, income, or market share. We care more about marketing, buzz, and vanity metrics rather than solving real customers’ pain.
I understand everyone wants to be the first mover and reap its benefits. It is the new ways companies are built-in the modern era. But my limited learning suggests this practice has resulted in toxicity. We have become hyper-competitive and forgotten the virtue of empathy, love, care for each other. We are robots and, the only distant goal of success is a material wealth of bumper sticker in the business card. I have been part of the same rat race for over five years.
In my current life, I am living my life at a slow pace. As a team we are happy and so are our paying customers, it is just they know about us and, we are giving them discounts for their cooperation. Developing a product or an organization is not like building a house by adding bricks. Apart from vision, mission, and philosophy, it is a human relationship that matters, love, empathy, care, and belief in every stakeholder. From customers, team members, cook, the cleaner: all have to be on the same page. It is okay to let go of some customers, opportunities in the short run for collective consciousness, and overall well being. Our believers will stick with us for eternity and, we will grow with them.