The Accidental Fast 50′ers: The Inside Story

 – posted October 17th, 2008 by Morgan McKeagney     Comments (8)

8 is a magic number: it’s lucky, it’s scorpio, it’s planetary, it’s symmetrical. And it’s my new favourite number, because last night, at the Deloitte Fast 50 awards, we were named Ireland’s eighth fastest growing technology company.

We’re delighted. But it all could easily not have happened. Except it did, and here’s how.

How it happened: an August conversation with unforeseen consequences

Laurence: Do you think we should enter the Fast 50 awards?
Morgan: I’m not sure, Lar. I’m not really into competitions, like being below the radar, I’ll think about it…
Laurence: Grand so; I’ll just download the form, and we can see what we do later….

[Days pass. Morgan ruminates. Laurence & Morgan meet again.]

Morgan: I’ve been thinking about the Fast 50, and I don’t want us to enter.
Laurence: Really, why not?
Morgan: Ah, you know: turnover based, hype, prefer to plough our own furrow…[rabbits on indefinitely]
Laurence: Grand so.

No means yes: a September email

Weeks pass. September comes. Laurence goes on holidays. In his absence, this email arrives:

“Hi Morgan, Congratulations again on being shortlisted in the Deloitte FAST 50. We don’t usually do this, but this year we have decided to notify the top ten winners under the strictest confidence….”

I’m reading this and I’m scratching my head. What does it mean? Lar, you cheeky devil…..Have we, in fact, entered the Fast 50? Have we not only entered, but been short-listed? And are we in the Top 10?

Yes, yes, and yes, as it turned out. Magical No. 8 being our final position in a competition that I didn’t even think we’d entered.

What did I learn from our Accidental Fast 50?

  • Bosses don’t know best: I was wrong about the Fast 50, and my wrongheadedness could have caused us to miss a great opportunity
  • Hire great people and let them at it: Luckily, I’m surrounded by lots of people who are smarter than me. And they’re happy and willing to disagree, act, take initiative: a self-regulating system that results in better decisions and outcomes.
  • Trust, let go, enjoy: Business is a great adventure. Like all adventures, there are twists, turns, ups, downs. Strap yourself in, trust your travelling companions, and enjoy the ride: fun and great things follow.

Thanks, thanks, thanks and more thanks

Thanks to Lar for sticking his neck out & taking a punt: brilliant. Thanks to all my fantastic colleagues for their smarts, effort, and unrelenting commitment to doing great work. Thanks to everyone at Deloitte for a great event and a great experience. And lastly, but most importantly, thanks to our brilliant customers who make everything possible.

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