November 1, 2024
I look at my neighbor’s abandoned garden and it hits me – this is exactly what happens to businesses when we look away. You know how a garden gets completely overrun with weeds if you ignore it for a few months?
That’s not just bad luck – it’s physics at work. Scientists call it ENTROPY: everything naturally moves from order to chaos unless you actively prevent it.
How Disorder Creeps into Business
I’ve seen this play out in companies time and time again. Just like that neglected garden, businesses will naturally slide into disorder if left unchecked:
- Teams start missing deadlines and miscommunicating
- Processes that used to work smoothly become clogged with bottlenecks
- Customer relationships that were once solid start showing cracks
- Simple tasks somehow become complicated multi-step ordeals
New Companies Face the Same Problem
Young startups might think they’re different. Sure, they start out lean and nimble, like fresh saplings in spring. But as they grow, entropy kicks in hard:
- Communication gets tangled
- Decision-making slows down
- Inefficiencies pop up everywhere
- Simple processes become unnecessarily complex
The Price of Not Taking Action
Here’s what really matters: you can’t afford to get comfortable. Companies that aren’t actively fighting entropy are already losing to it. You need new energy, fresh ideas, and better processes just to stay in place.
Understanding Large Company Slowdown
Ever wonder why large companies seem buried in bureaucracy? Now you know – they’re desperately trying to fight entropy. The bigger and more complex they get, the harder they have to work just to maintain order.
What Makes a Successful Company
Want to spot a winning company? Look for ones that are serious about fighting entropy:
- They reinvest in efficiency improvements
- Their leadership actively removes obstacles
- They regularly update and streamline their systems
Taking Action
There’s no escaping it – entropy will always try to push your business toward chaos. The only question is: what are you going to do about it?