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Why you might be on Mount Stupid
The more you learn, the less you know.
Let’s imagine you’re working at a software company. Things aren’t going very well.
But it’s easy, right?
After months of technical exploration and prototypes, your team has been unable to produce anything that looks like it will make the new product work in the way that it was imagined.
This isn’t sitting well with the VP Engineering and the Sales Director, who need to shift units. In fact, they’re completely livid.
The Sales Director is first to interject. “You’re honestly telling us that after 3 months you have nothing that is going to get this thing built?”
Your engineers aren’t particularly used to this kind of intense confrontation, especially from such senior people in the company. It makes them feel like they are pretty stupid.
“We tried. It’s just a really difficult problem.”
Their nervousness makes them fail to say they’ve produced some very interesting prototypes.
“3 months and 6 people and we have nothing? I just don’t think you’re working hard enough, especially when compared to the sales team. They’re on it all of the time. When are you going to step up?”
“I’m sorry; it just doesn’t seem possible,” replies your data scientist sheepishly.
Your VP Engineering is gripping her pen tighter, as one of her teams is making her take the back foot in front of her peers.
“You do realize that other companies are just solving this with machine learning now? I’ve seen our competitors launch stuff really quickly this way. Why can’t you?”
“It’s not that straight forward; it’s really hard to get right.”
“I don’t believe you. Others are doing it. Did you not see Fizzcorp’s press release last week? Same functionality. I reckon we should have just outsourced this problem. That would have gotten it done in half the time. What am I going to tell the exec?”
Fumes.
How did we get here?
I’ve been on both sides myself. It’s likely you will as well.
