Chairman of La Rosa’s Pizza, T. D. Hughes, is fond of saying, “All Business Is The Same, It Just Looks Different”. Well, I’m here to tell you as I begin day 4 at Vinimaya, when you talk about small, entrepreneurial software companies, it doesn’t look different either!
Examples:
Next man in:
This phrase is typically heard in a sports context (or military, I suppose). When someone ‘goes down’, the next man (woman) in picks up the task and runs with it. No one needs to ask, no one waits for permission. It just gets done. With one Client Service Manager stuck in business travel purgatory, another stepped in to solve a pressing customer issue. The new guy (yours truly) didn’t have to do anything, in fact, I didn’t even know it happened until after the problem was solved.
We’re overworked AND driven:
In my initial interviews with my team, there were comments that I more or less expected, walking into a role that had been largely vacant for 3-4 months. People needed to vent, but even through the turmoil and frustration, nothing gets in the way of doing the right thing for the customer. There is no one RIP here (‘Retired In Place”).
Diplomacy:
There is always a delicate balance between doing what’s right for the customer, and doing the customer’s job for them, especially with a product that is such a key element of the customer’s procurement infrastructure. The level of diplomacy required is significant. Seeing this diplomacy at work is great, I’ve seen some examples already that would make Dale Carnegie smile.
Not Enough Time for Quandrant II:
The self help ‘bible’ of the 1990’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” talks to the value of ‘Quadrant II activities‘, the activities that are important, but not urgent. The speed and urgency of everything that goes on in the small entrepreneurial software company environment tends to drive quadrant II activities back into the shadows. I believe my job is to help facilitate a proper balance.
Well, that’s enough for now, nearly a week in and still lovin’ it.
– RTR
Real Time Rick 
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