Avoid Front Doors

Avoid front doors and ladders.

A clear path is a competitive path.

Where there’s a ladder, there’s usually a fake wall that people are wasting resources climbing over.

The few people who climbed the ladder want to believe they spent their energy correctly, so will be very vocal about the importance of the ladder. The faker the ladder, the more people they need to convince it was real. Hence, the path becomes clearer for those at the bottom.

“Here are the degrees you need, this is the internship, these are the committees for the next 10 years, these promotions each require 3 years.” Translation: “Here’s what I did, ‘why’ is scary.”

Front doors are safe, tried, and true. They reduce perceived risk. They’re great for running away from something.

Once you’re running towards something, you discover side doors and ignore crowded queues to socially constructed ladders. Pick a mission, take calculated risks, have fun, distinguish unspoken social rules from actual causes.

In marketing this is especially true. Overpriced ads, products with the best marketing and sales reps, what everyone uses for xyz. There are a hundred premiums that reduce risk for uncertain marketers. When you calculate the risk instead of run from it, choices become less about hearsay, and more about probability.

Front doors and ladders yield work, not leverage.