Crawl, Walk, Run — by Dan Lynn
By Dan Lynn
I've been criticized several times for my "Crawl, Walk, Run" approach to running a business. I was told that the best managers have a much more aggressive style. Their approach to business is just "Run, Run, Run". Or they practice "Fire, Ready, Aim". Honestly, I think that is a bunch of macho crap and a recipe for failure. The best companies and best managers I've been exposed to throughout my career take a Crawl, Walk, Run approach to business. That doesn't mean they don't take risks. They take a lot of risks. That doesn't mean they don't make things happen. They are the best at making things happen. That doesn't mean they wait to do things. They are actually able to improve time to market and manage their risk through fact-based learnings and controlled investment.
I really enjoyed my days at ADP. The company has a tremendous senior management team with over 50 years of incredible success. One of ADP's key business management beliefs is "Role Before You Roll". In other words, role-play before you rollout to the market. They are also big believers in "Pilot". Said another way, test it in a contained environment, ensure it works with excellence, and then move as fast as you can to make it more generally available.
Do they take risks? Yes, every single day. Do they manage their risks? Yes, through a Crawl, Walk, Run methodology.
In summary, it is certainly better to "Do" than to only "Plan". Doing something is better than doing nothing. Therefore, it is better to Crawl with the hope of Running than to never Run at all. As one of my great managers once said about a marketing program the team was working on, "the sales team is fighting with bare fists right now so let's at least get them a stick. Let's not wait until we build the atomic bomb before we help them. Let's get something in their hands fast, have an immediate impact and build from there." He was right on the money. If you are going to make something happen - faster is certainly better than slower. In addition, managing risk is key to long-term business success.
Questions this Key Learning answers
How do I move quickly without taking reckless business risks?
The author recommends a Crawl, Walk, Run approach: make a controlled first move, learn from facts, and increase investment as evidence builds. This is not an argument for waiting. It combines faster action with risk management by testing in a contained environment, confirming that the approach works, and then moving quickly.
Should I launch a pilot before rolling out a new idea?
Dan Lynn points to ADP’s belief in “Role Before You Roll”: role-play and pilot an idea before taking it broadly to market. Our analysis explains that the first test should be small enough to reverse but real enough to produce useful evidence, preserving the option to expand, revise, or stop.
What do you do when the final solution will take too long?
The author argues that doing something useful now is better than only planning for a perfect future solution. His manager’s advice was to give the sales team “a stick” rather than wait for an “atomic bomb.” The lesson is to provide a workable tool quickly, create immediate impact, and improve it through observed use.