If you've spent time in a startup or a company that is trying to think like a startup, you've likely heard of the phrase "GSD" (or 'get shit done'). Look, I don't have a problem with this in theory, the problem I have is in how many organizations apply it. To them, GSD means to start herding cats; action for the sake of action. Busy...because busy somehow = value.
Before we dig into GSD, I want to take a step back and make a confession. I’ve only failed one class in my life…and it was wood-working in 7th grade.
Now, there are legitimate excuses (like being out of school for three weeks with bronchitis), but this particular failure (and the attached excuses) isn’t the point of the story.
There is an old adage I learned in that class that, despite the frustration with that teacher, I’ve always held close: “measure twice, cut once.”
We’ve all heard it. It’s so simplistic. So obvious. And so few of us adhere to it, especially when we try and GSD.
Get Shit Done (GSD)
So, back to GSD'ing. I can almost picture a supervisor running through the cubicle farm, wearing a short-sleeve button up shirt and ill-fitted tie, notepad held over their head, like a flag and yelling in their best Braveheart voice:
”GET…SHIT…DONE!”
I know that little rant seems like I’m anti-GSD but I’m not. Getting things done is critical; it’s why you collect a paycheck. It’s important to always find a way forward. And, like most people, I love checking things off of my list and securing wins for my organization.
The problem, like most things in our society, is in the context and application of this gem-of-an-idea.
We’re too often skipping the “measure twice” component and simply cutting, because, GSD! If you’re busy sketching things out on a white-board…that Braveheart yelling supervisor walks by and yells "GSD" because, to them, planning isn't doing.
Which leads to the next point.
Failing To Plan
Another favorite adage: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The problem with how people apply the “GSD” mantra is by totally bypassing the planning phase. They skip right to doing.
I’ve been in a startup environment for over seven years now. Virtually every slip up I’ve seen has come from a team failing to plan. They want to go fast. And so…to speed up the process, they skip the planning phase.
One of my favorite sports teams of all time was the Chase Daniel led Mizzou Tigers football team. They ran a ‘spread-offense’ that put up crazy, video-game like numbers. They seemed unstoppable. But, man, did they play fast! They were snapping the ball before defenses had the chance to substitute players in and out. They could drive the ball 80-yards for a score in under 60 seconds. It was a thing of beauty.
How did they manage to play that fast? Intense preparation. Planning. Practice. They ran drills at slow speed until they got it. Then did the drills faster and faster. They didn’t just slam on the accelerator and hope it would all somehow work out. It was controlled chaos.
Yet, too often in the business world, we look at planning as something that slows us down.
Planning doesn’t slow us down…and in fact, when executed correctly, planning allows us to go faster than those that haven’t planned. The time we spend planning allows us to speed up exponentially on the execution side. Because we’ve thought through the barriers, the missteps and the requirements. We’re prepared.
Again, this isn’t a slam against the “GSD” crowd…it’s taking that and saying “OK, if you want to go fast…here’s how you do it.”
And you do it by planning, practicing and then executing.
Last example: Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world didn’t wake up one day and decide to become the fastest man in the world; he didn't wander over to the track and start sprinting. He put in the work. He planned. He practiced. And then…he GSD.
You want to go fast? Great. Make a plan. Practice. Then execute.
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