It’s a model, not a recipe

We seem to get bored with lessons LONG before we learn them.

We know we need to pay attention to markets, suppliers, and employees. We know that scale is not the same as growth. We know about process, quality, and culture. Yet we keep thinking that understanding is enough.

We think if we make the model complex enough it will do the heavy lifting for us. Just as “The map is not the territory” (Alfred Korzybski), the flight plan is not the journey. The value of models like Lean Startup is not in the wisdom they impart, but in the journeys of exploration they inspire.

If you’re serious about starting or scaling a business, stop looking for the perfect model and get down to the hard work of building, testing, and revising.

This Medium article reminds me of Professor Henry Higgins observation in My Fair Lady: “The French don’t care what they do, actually as long as they pronounce it properly!”