The Fake-Efficiency Syndrome

Hello Hello. Welcome back.

Today, I'll tell you the story of the Saboteur: that person who looks for shortcuts, such as copycatting, for instance, and plays with the odds against her/himself without considering the costs involved.

There’s nothing worse then failing on someone else’s idea. If you’re doing things on other people’s criteria or standards, and you fail, you feel terrible.

So, obviously, there are more than just operational costs attached to it: the emotional and psychological costs.

Let me tell you how my mind works.

The Product Personas

When I meet an entrepreneur or product enthusiast, I tend to fit him/her into 3 personas I've created in my mind:

First, there’s the Go-Getter, who doesn't give excuses and does whatever it takes to build something that matters to customers. (again: something that matters to customers; that brings value to someone who needs it).

Then, the Conservative Dreamer, who does envision the golden pot, but follows a safer path because he/she accepts the fact that some risks are too much to handle on his/her own. And it's fine.

Finally, Mr. Saboteur. As mentioned before, this one looks for shortcuts and doesn't quite understand the consequences in the long run.

Mr. Saboteur talks but doesn't listen

Mr. Saboteur can certainly succeed and, by success, I mean building the life Mr. Saboteur always dreamed of. But what goes around, comes around, my friend, and no one can ignore it. Neither Mr. Saboteur.

Here’s what I mean by that.

Mr. Saboteur is passionate about building stuff, doing research, talking with users, analyzing data, connecting the dots, problem validation, etc. So far you think Mr. Saboteur is on the right track, right? But... Mr. Saboteur is also focused on getting from point A to B through shortcuts.

What Mr. Saboteur doesn't know is that creating fake bridges to sustain arguments force the connection between dots that can break at any time.

They don’t try to genuinely understand the problem they are solving. They want to build something to call their own and show people they created something that, well, is theirs. Pure ego! Consequence: Mr. Sabateur wants to launch products as fast as possible, regardless, and expect great results.

You know how this ends

Talking with your users doesn't make you necessarily user-centered. You have to listen, instead. Sabotaging your process creates a fake belief you’re building something that matters.

That's what I call the Fake-Efficiency Syndrome. Mr. Saboteur has the unsustainable belief that progress is being made, but instead, there are no reasonable explanations on why and how he/she went from point A to point B.

"Great! I talked to 12 users and that's what I need to build."

Tip: Quit the "build stuff that matters" buzz.

Usually, the desperate need to get to the solution as quickly as possible is motivated by this involuntary need coming from the public pressure we add on our back: "Go build stuff that matters."

That's a bit of very generalist advice to give someone, but not everyone has the same level of maturity to process such advice. So, the consequence is: Mr. Saboteur gets stuck in a rolling wheel creating shortcuts to build products that:

• doesn’t take too much effort,
• doesn’t take too much time,
• and still gives the temporary success-feeling.

"Awesome! I launched my MVP. I got this."

Efficiency doesn't mean shortcuts. "There's no silver bullet for success." You must genuinely understand you have to go through the needs and pains customers have. Otherwise, you'll likely fall into the trap of creating weak pathways to overcome the unknown.

Be careful with outliers

It can get worse (It always does).

In summary, Mr. Saboteur is this type of entrepreneur who wants fast money with little to no effort involved, and success guaranteed.

"At some point, I'm gonna shot at the right spot."

You can get there, but an even darker side is a reality to a some people due to the obsession for success. Suddenly, you just turned into a greedy Saboteur.

Usually, the greedy Saboteur has at least one of the below behaviors.

1. Never satisfied. Instead of thinking that everyone would benefit as the pie gets larger, you view the piece as a constant and want to have the biggest part. You truly believe you deserve more, even if it comes at someone else’s expense.
2. Expert in manipulation. You are highly talented in taking credit for work done by others - some people see it as copy + paste "technique".
3. Into the short run. You’re focused on satiating your immediate needs and leaving it to others to cope with the consequences. You are more interested in getting to success as quickly as possible, instead of bringing others to help you.

To get themselves out of this dark place, these outliers may have to go on an inner journey to uncover the unconscious sources of their singular pursuit of success and face the various defenses that drive them towards excessiveness.

But that's a topic for another time and the fact is: there's no race; there's no golden pot. There's work and you got to go through it.

Who do you do what you do for?

Wow! Have you noticed how far we came just by Mr. Saboteur's problem with public pressure? Thanks for sticking around (again).

So put yourself before your own ego and avoid turning into Mr. Saboteur. It happens and there's a way out of it. Question yourself when making an important decision - is this for my ego or for myself? - and liberate yourself from creating shortcuts.

Wanna know why? Because you have just realized this is not a race and you're not in a rush anymore. Take your time and give it all.

”Don’t half-ass it. Whatever the out come is, at least you’re not gonna have to wonder: would the outcome have been different?”

JP Paiva

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