Is bigger always better?
Ever watched a huge corporate machine move slower than a snail while a tiny team runs circles around them? This episode of “Stuff and Things” breaks down why speed trumps size in today’s business world… or does it?
In this latest episode, I explore why being small and nimble beats being big and slow. Packed with anecdotes and examples, this episode is your guide to thriving in a fast-moving business landscape.
Key insights:
– Why adaptability beats bureaucracy
– How small teams can outmanoeuvre giants
– The art of being “less lumpy” in business
A witty, sharp take on the idea that being nippy and adaptable is far more valuable than being a lumbering corporate giant.
This podcast is an expansion on the thought Fast Beats Big from the Book Stuff and Things available in digital and print versions on Amazon.
Recorded in my home office. Sat on the floor. That got quite uncomfortable.
Previous Episodes:
S1 E1 – Introduction, S1 E2 Size Matters
Transcript:
Episode 3 – Fast Beats Big
Welcome, dear listeners, to another episode of “Stuff and Things,” the podcast where we attempt to distil decades of business wisdom (maybe) without causing too much of a headache. I’m your host, Nicholas Gill, and today we’re tackling: “Fast Beats Big.”
“Fast beats big.” It’s the idea that being nippy and adaptable is far more valuable than being a lumbering corporate giant.
Let me paint you a picture. If you will, a large, established agency. We’ll call them “Enormous & Cumbersome.” They’ve got more employees than a small village, an org chart that looks like a particularly complex game of Snakes and Ladders, and meetings about meetings about meetings about meetings.
Now, on the other side, let’s call them, “Quick & Nimble,” a smaller agency with a team you could fit in a decent-sized pub. They’re like a group of caffeine-fuelled meerkats, always on alert for the next opportunity.
Let’s think about the pitch.
Both agencies are pitching for a new campaign for a client. Enormous & Cumbersome roll in with a team of 20, armed with enough paperwork to deforest the Amazon. They’ve got research, focus groups, and a presentation that could double as a sedative.
Quick & Nimble, meanwhile, show up with a lean team, fresh ideas, and the ability to pivot faster than a politician avoiding a tough question – which we’ve had enough of that lately. They listen, adapt on the fly, and come up with solutions that don’t require navigating through seventeen layers of management.
Guess who won the pitch? That’s right, our nimble friends. Because in the time it takes Enormous & Cumbersome to schedule a meeting about the meeting they need to have about the pitch, Quick & Nimble have already delivered the first round of creative.
Well, actually… a lot of the time Enormous and Cumbersome will win because the old adage of nobody got fired for hiring IBM. It’s as true in our industry as most others. Big and lumpy is safe. Small and agile is well.. risky. Quick & Nimble, they lose a lot more than they should.
A bit of personal experience on this, I was working at a rather large agency. We were trying to launch a new social media campaign for a client. By the time we’d had meetings about the strategy, meetings about the meetings about the strategy, and then meetings to discuss what we’d discussed in the meetings about the meetings about the strategy, the social media platform we were targeting had gone the way of the dodo.
We were so focused on being thorough that we forgot to be relevant and quick. Meanwhile, our competitors, a scrappy little outfit, had already launched the campaigns and were onto the second one. They were like the Usain Bolt of advertising, while we were more like a particularly slow garden snail.
So, what can you take from all this? Well, in a world that moves really, really fast, being big is good but it’s not always the best.
I’ve always enjoyed being the smaller, the upstart, the plucky one because it means you’re adaptable, quick on your feet, and ready to change direction at a moment’s notice. And you cut through layers of bureaucracy.
“Less lumpy” is the phrase that I use a lot.
It’s not about being reckless, either. It’s about finding that sweet spot between thorough and swift, like a perfectly timed cup of tea.
So to wrap up, remember:
1. In the business world, speed and adaptability often trump size.
2. Being nimble allows you to seize opportunities before they vanish.
3. But don’t confuse speed with recklessness – it’s about smart, swift action.
Until next time, this is Nicholas Gill – oh don’t forget, pop over to Amazon and you can buy this [book] in print and digital formats on Amazon. Stuff and Things – by me!!
Good afternoon!
