Innovators' instincts about a market need are usually correct, but their first idea for a solution is often flawed. Success requires detaching your ego from the initial implementation to discover the idea's most successful variant through experimentation.
To avoid failing for the wrong reasons, focus your innovation on a single core area of your product. For all other features, like user onboarding, ruthlessly copy the most successful existing patterns instead of reinventing the wheel.
Don't hunt for metrics to validate a product. A truly winning product creates an unmistakable gut feeling of being 'right,' much like falling in love. If you have to ask if it's working or dig through data for confirmation, it’s not a home run.
Elite product creators don't launch a Minimum Viable Product to see if it works. They iterate privately until they create a 'Maximum Potential Product' they are personally addicted to. They collect winnings on launch day, they don't make bets.
Recognize that pivotal meetings or opportunities are not routine. Treat them as 'stop time' moments that can define your company's trajectory. 'Overfund' them with preparation to turn them into massive wins, as Mark Pincus did with Yahoo and Amex.
Success insulates leaders from criticism. As people start giving you the benefit of the doubt, you receive a distorted, overly positive signal. A successful CEO's crucial task is to intentionally surround themselves with intellectually honest 'truth-seekers' to get unfiltered feedback.