“Fire Bullets then Cannonball” is an approach adopted by high performing 10X organizations to validate scale up options , as mentioned by Jim Collins in his book Great by Choice..
A bullet is a low-cost, low-risk, and low-distraction experiment that helps to empirically validate what works (and what doesn’t). Based on the outcomes of that, 10X companies will then fire a cannonball, investing larger resources to enable disproportionate returns from concentrated bets.
10X organizations known as 10Xers in Jim Collins’s book Great by Choice are consistently high performing companies who are extremely consistent in action, adhering to strict values, goals, performance standards and methods. They are relentless, monomaniacal and unyielding in focusing on their quests.
Such organizations exhibit Fanatic Discipline leading to what is called the 20 Mile March wherein they set clear and consistent goals and targets and are not enticed to aim higher even during good times..
10X or high performing companies as analyzed by Jim Collins in “Great By Choice” exhibit one very surprising pattern
They have pegged their targets to a ceiling while at the same time earmarking a level beyond which it should never fall down.
It is like playing an infinite game of business with discipline to fight the ofds when the chips are down while at the same time showing restraint of not being too greedy when the times are good.
The comparison between Stryker and USSC has been cited as a reference wherein Stryker’s sustainable targets helped it stay afloat while USSC greed of aggressive targets eventually led to its acquisition by Tyco.
Thus in the game of business as well , slow and steady wins the race
The high performing 10X companies are ones who maintain hypervigilance in good times as well as bad.
They are always on their toes wary of disruption and hence competing with themselves to be a better version everyday.
These companies constantly consider the possibility that events could turn against them at any moment and hence to counter such unpredictability they are always better prepared.
Such “Productive Paranoia” thus keeps a high performing 10X organization afloat to be better prepared in the “Infinite Game” of business.
Adopted from Jim Collins’s book “Great By Choice” and Simon Sinek’s book “The Infinite Game”