Is explicit skin-in-the-game the reason that lean and agile are so novel and impactful?
Would you rather fly on a plane controlled by the world’s best pilot remotely from a control center or on a plane flown by an average pilot in the cockpit of your plane? I know my answer.
In the old models of building businesses or software, founders or developers can separate themselves from the real (customer) consequences of their day to day decisions for months or even years. It’s as if they operate remotely. By the time the results come in, there are so many variables and moving parts that bad decisions are hard to identify.
In an agile or lean environment, decisions are tested in the real world regularly and frequently. The lean or agile pilot is on the plane every week as she demonstrates her work and decisions to customers.
In other words, the agile or lean practitioner has skin-in-the-game.