We bought a vacuum cleaner.

Used it a couple of times—heavy, loud, and barely picked up anything. We gave up on it. In true Indian fashion, where returns aren't exactly Costco-easy, it just became part of the furniture. You buy it, you marry it.

Then came a surprise: a post-sales call from the manufacturer.

The rep started off very politely. I took the opportunity to explain our experience—the disappointing performance, the noise, and how we eventually just went back to relying on our trusty maid and her loyal sidekick: the good old broom.

And then… she snapped.

“Sir, everyone else is using it—why can’t you?”

I was stunned. That call remains one of the most intense post-sales feedback sessions I’ve ever had. To this day, whenever a chef hovers over my table and asks, “How’s the food?” while I’m mid-bite, I instinctively nod and say, “Everything’s great!”

Some scars run deep.

--

I remember all this again today while reading some Marketing related literature for UoW Executive-MBA class :)

For some of the projects, in the beginning there is only Unknown! 

• Nothing has been built yet.
• No clear role models exist—only distant possibilities of feasibility.
• The team is entirely new.
• Committing to a deadline comes with a high risk of missing it.

In these situations, the best strategy a manager can adopt is ** controlled chaos **. This doesn’t mean having no strategy at all; rather, it means learning to navigate and leverage chaos effectively. The key is to embrace the unknown while continuously working toward order.

### **Build the Team**

Building a team isn’t just about hiring people and putting them in a shared space—physical or virtual. A strong team is one where every member feels motivated, empowered, and safe to take action. There’s no universal formula for this; every manager and every team is different. Experiment with different approaches, discard what doesn’t work, and adopt what does. Most importantly, recognize that team-building is an ongoing process, not just something that happens in the first month.

### **Learn from Progress (Both Success and Failure)**

Failure is an inevitable part of any ambitious project, but it’s also a valuable learning opportunity. The key is to create a culture where these lessons are absorbed and applied. Learning from both successes and failures must be embedded in the team’s DNA, otherwise, these insights will be lost.