You don’t get to-do that anymore

The ratchet effect in a growing team suggests that, sometimes, you don’t get to-do that anymore:

  • The toil you know is more comfortable than the toil you don’t. We enjoy what we’re good at, so letting it go is asking for discomfort.
  • Leading others toward your toil takes time you could have spent doing it yourself. Yet leading others forward is what helps your company grow.
  • What comes next is even harder. Now what? It’s time to draw a new map, rather than following your old one. That one’s not yours anymore.

The ratchet effect creates leverage but can be uncomfortable to crank. Is your work important enough to you to make you trade your to-dos for discomfort?