Startups are a blast. Talk to anyone who has ever worked in one and you will undoubtedly hear a few wild stories. Legends are created in these places. Tales of flying helicopters, break rooms filled with pool tables, fuse-ball tables, and a stocked refrigerator. Among the more "epic" startups you might even find a fridge stocked with beer.
Taking the company to the next level - this is what each person is working towards. The excitement fills the air. There is a sense of urgency at all times. There is no such thing as down time. Every minute is used and is valuable.
If you want to learn? A startup is where you go. The breadth of exposure is significantly larger than that of a bigger company. You may have a say in the marketing plan or a chance to go to industry trade shows - things which could be quite different from your actual job. You are probably on a first name basis with the executive team. The CEO typically knows your spouse's name and what your hobbies are. It is one of the best way to build your network and experience quickly.
But with any company, there are always challenges. Growth in startups often stagnates once it hits a certain point. The executive teams do not always have the experience or the wisdom to move the company forward. At times, heroism culture gets in the way.
For those of you who have worked in a startup, you know exactly who the hero is. He's the guy who will promise anything at any cost or loves to be the star of the meeting. He might be the one who comes up with the great ideas; the one who works until 4AM to get the product out the door. The culture of heroism values "delivering" complex products in such a short time. It becomes a celebration of a single person "making it happen". "We get sh*t done!" becomes the battle cry.
The darker side of this celebration is it often leads to an unspoken view that heroism culture is more valuable than quality. It is not outwardly declared, but everyone knows it. The company inadvertently and maybe even unknowingly stands behind delivering poor products at the expense of allowing the hero culture to take root.
There might be a certain appeal when 2 year old Jordan acts like a clown at the dinner table despite being told to eat his dinner. However, when Jordan grows up to the ripe age of 15, we no longer find his actions quite so endearing.
Valuing fast work over quality works for a while, particularly, when the company is young. But you ultimately grow up whether you chose to or not. No longer can any naiveté be claimed at this stage of the game. There will be a heavy price to pay when quality is ignored: growth.
