Ever worked in a company for a while and notice the vibe changed? You and your team have been grinding hard and now the pace has slowed down and you find yourself spending 3 months discussing a button change? Or the opposite: the company used to be more laid back and now the deadlines are shorter and more hectic and there’s an overwhelming sense of urgency?

🕊️ vs ⚔️

There’s a famous Ben Horowitz essay about Peacetime/Wartime CEO (https://a16z.com/peacetime-ceo-wartime-ceo/) that argues that a company alternates between 2 phases:

Peace time = the company has a large advantage and is focused on expanding its market

War time = the company is fending off an imminent existential threat

At peace time, the company operates more slowly, focusing on creating alignment and consensus. At war time, the focus is on getting things done. There’s less time to plan, less time for meetings, and more focus on shipping fast.

In startups, they usually coincide with the funding cycle. Raising (war) vs funded (peace). In big co, a lot of factors can cause this but a good signal is a CEO change. Like when Nadella (war) replaced Ballmer (peace).

I’ve been bad at dealing with this “phase change” in my career. I’d enter a company under one phase and leave once the vibe changes. It’s not that I prefer one phase over the other – I’ve actually worked well in both. It’s the transition that’s difficult and it’s always easier to find a job elsewhere. What I didn’t realise at that time, is that these phases are normal and navigating through them is a great learning opportunity.

How to work in peace time:

You have room to breathe, more time to do things “right”. You can even pay the tech debt you accrued during war time.

Processes are more rigid and the pace is slower. Going rogue is viewed negatively.

You can be more diplomatic. You’re willing to endure the 2 hour marketing presentation because you want to build that relationship. Starting conflicts, even when justified, will be viewed as unnecessary.

There’s job stability so you can focus on personal growth (getting promoted). Your manager is most likely focused on growing the team so there’s plenty of opportunity for career advancement. Keep in mind that while on paper you’re title has advanced, your “hard, technical skill” will likely dull because the slower pace will find you working on the same thing for an extended period.

How to work in war time:

“Good enough is better than perfect”. There’s more emphasis on speed rather than quality. No point in having long-term solutions if the project won’t live that long.

It’s more important to be agile. While ideally you should always be “agile” and you should be releasing quickly and often anyway, the uncertainty in war time means changes happen more often. Accept that people will change there minds and don’t be attached to solutions.

Conflicts are expected to happen because there’s no time to build consensus. Don’t take it personally when you get railroaded, the pace has quickened and you need to adjust and prioritise.

Job stability is an illusion. It’s a stressful period because your actual job is at stake, but showing that you can perform under pressure will open doors to leadership roles and bigger responsibilities.

Adapt to both

There are downsides to both phases. Peace time will become boring and can stagnate your career. And even though businesses prefer the high productivity of war time, it’s unsustainably stressful and can lead to burnout. Understanding which phase the company is operating at helps you handle the ups and downs better.

It’s easy to jump ship at the first sign of change. But the ability to adapt to change and bounce back from difficulties is valuable not just as an employee or engineer but as a human being in general.

Disclaimer: I’m a pacifist and understand the very real consequences of a real life War. It’s not my intention to diminish the seriousness of the word but there’s a lot of business jargon that’s war based because Men.