My family and I hit the Farmer’s market in our town last night. For me there is just something about hanging out in that environment that makes me feel comfortable. I grew up near farms and the woods as a kid and I suppose that’s most of it.
But think about this on a larger scale. Silicon Valley has long been an environment where people go to innovate and many business founders feel, well, comfortable there.
Some of us prefer environments in the city, some in the country, some people enjoy the woods, and some enjoy the seashore, some like the weight room, and some like the pool. The point is that we all have environments that make us comfortable. They allow us to relax.
Now the world doesn’t always let us sit in comfortable environments. For us to grow it demands that we push out and make ourselves “uncomfortable”. This is good. This is necessary.
But I have found that the more we push the greater the need for us to have a “home base”; an environment that is comfortable where we can recharge.
Sure this can be your home environment but when you have a business team it is nice to build a great environment to share with your people. A place where you can go, lick your wounds, have the people you work with make fun of you and send you back out the door to try again.
A great environment with great people, a great culture, and a great team is worth building because it acts like a shield. It deflects the crap the world throws at you and energizes you for the next round.
It’s not just a neat idea but a critical part of our success.