I learned a lot about bodybuilding and agile processes from Elaine Tai at the Denver Pivotal office in her teach-me-something on Bodybuilding and Agile Practice. It got me thinking about the parallels with lean product management and seasonality in businesses.
Bodybuilders train seasonally: during the off-season they spend time “bulking,” and when the competitive season begins they switch to “cutting.” Business is also cyclical, and we should follow similar principles.
Bulking is about building muscle. While we want to stay “lean,” there will naturally be weight gain from fat and retained water, and that’s OK: we’re bulking up! In business, this means building new features, experimenting with practices, and introducing more uncertainty whilst consequences are low (because nobody is judging us right now).
Cutting is about reducing extra fat and water to meet the performance needs of the competitive bodybuilding season. We want to get rid of anything that hides our muscle. In business, this means refactoring to retain our strengthes while eliminating the extras that hinder or obscure performance. We take fewer risks during the high season by reducing uncertainty whilst consequences are high (because everyone actually is judging us at this time of year). It’s important to note that responsible athletes (and managers) recognize that seasonal peaks might call for some sacrifice, but that should not be at the cost of physical or mental health.
Now let’s dig in to Seasonality … I see a lot of businesses try to eliminate their cyclical nature by smoothing out peaks and troughs in pursuit of a more predictable business. Unfortunately, this usually entails filling in the troughs without reducing the peaks. While this might look good on a spreadsheet, it isn’t really how humans work. We are naturally seasonal and therefore should design our work around the seasons. After participating in three companies that filled in their off-peak time with more activity, I can say that the cost was terrific. Those troughs had been giving us the margin we needed to recover, to lift our perspective from day-to-day concerns, and to spend necessary time in deep work. With those troughs filled in, we struggled with burnout, tunnel-vision, and an inability to maintain focus on what’s important, rather than urgent.
Finally, it’s also important to recognize that performance is not the same as Fitness. While performance in bodybuilding and physical fitness do correlate, they are not equal. A bodybuilder may do well in their division, but that performance doesn’t necessarily transfer to other divisions, let alone marathons, powerlifting, or ballet (although it could). Productbuilding focuses on finding product–market fit, but it doesn’t guarantee general fitness across markets. Some products can pivot, and some cannot.
Here’s what I glean from all of this:
- Balance “bulking” and “cutting” your product within the cycles of your business
- Embrace the seasonality of both your business and yourself as living, breathing beings
- Don’t give up your mental or physical health
- Remember there are tradeoffs when productbuilding, and consider if and how you might pivot as you pursue performance
