Self discovery a key to startup success.

Know Thyself

The ancient Greek injunction, ‘Know Thyself,’ is inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. (Image courtesy Cyprus Today @ Twitter.com)

The only way we can know ourselves better is by asking questions or listening to what others are saying about us and processing information about the different versions or ourselves or how we are perceived differently by all those who are around us and influenced by us.

Socrates used the Delphic maxim "Know Thyself" in his history titled: Memorabilia. In this writing. In the ancient Indian Upanishads, a phrase used is  "ātmā́naṃ viddhi", which literally translates to "know thyself" which sets one on the path of success and enlightenment.

Success though may mean diffident things to different people, yet good knowledge of self in the venture is a great predictor of success.

Ignorance is not bliss. Every founder should know whether he or she’s good at, bad at or really suck at doing something. Introspection helps in picking up the right team, and associates when it comes to complimenting the skills in a team.

To know oneself better can be done in two easy ways -  getting feedback and introspection or reflection.

Getting feedback helps every founder. When you are starting out, you do not have money or time. Spiralling with zero progress can really do damage to yourself and others around you.

Seeking feedback is a scary thing to do because not every feedback can be positive so not all founders are open to seeking suggestions. That said it should be the first step, It doesn’t matter how positive or negative it may be;  it is always an opportunity for improvement.

How you are feeling now or at any point in time, happy sad, angry, or frustrated will give understanding and control over your feelings than be controlled by them. Once you are in control you have greater freedom, a freedom to choose.

Chose wisely, who you seek feedback from. The right mentor can provide the feedback confidentially, in an organisational context 360° feedback is also commonly known but 360 feedback just portrays how you fit culturally within an existing environment. In a startup when you are in the early stages of a business you are creating a cultural context yourself so 360° feedback will not mean much till you get to a handful of team members. That said, you should seek feedback from more than one person around you and the ones you’re sure to give you honest and critical feedback on a regular basis.

I say regular, because you, I, and we collectively need to continually become a better versions of ourselves. How good we are at doing it will only come from seeking honest feedback and seeking introspection.

We also have an inherent reluctance to get feedback, it is natural. Sometimes when we feel that the feedback is not going to be honest or definitely negative, reluctance sets in. Another is we do not want to hold ourselves accountable for our own actions and relinquish responsibility or blame others when things go awry. This is the last thing a founder should do (or even individuals in large companies, as we all know when the market shifted, Kodak executives were taken by surprise. Something listening to the market feedback could have easily fixed)

Ignoring self-knowledge could be just another sign of continued unfettering success, like rolling a die and continually getting 6, but arrogance can come at a price and risk.

For those who are keen to use a model for self-discovery, I would suggest the situation, behaviour and impact model of reflection (SBI), where we can reflect on the situation we encounter, the behaviours we exhibit and the short, medium, and long-term impact of those behaviours (or outcomes we achieve) armed with this repository, we can continually improve our outcomes or impact that we create in the ever-changing universe around us.

Hope this helps you in your journey.

(c) Sameer Babbar

If you liked this post, why not share it with someone who may enjoy this.