Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. Pancake Day. Shrove Tuesday. Whatever you call it, today is the day you get to celebrate to the fullest and consume tasty, fatty foods like pancakes smothered in butter and syrup (yum). For Christians specifically, it marks the last day of Shrovetide, filled with celebrations of all the riches we have and enjoy before the season of Lent begins. For those unaware, Lent is a period of sacrifice, grieving and reflection that Christians observe leading up to Easter.
So what does this have to do with business?
I have been around long enough to have seen many startups succeed and even more fail, and in many cases, I believe you can often pin the ultimate reason on a lack of self-awareness. This is a good time of year for business leaders to take stock of all the thick, buttery goodness in the business they have created and revel in their achievements. But this is also a great time of year to stop and reflect on what could have been done better, where they can trim things out, and what sacrifices they should implement to make their organizations even better. The winter holidays are over, the festivities are ending, and it is time to hunker down and focus on efficiencies.
It is very easy to get wrapped up in a cycle of celebrating successes without taking into account places where improvements can be made. While this may seem like a great way to raise spirits and encourage more work, there is some valuable therapy in embracing your faults and paying some penance for errors and misalignment. Taking a step back to re-evaluate before moving forward again is critical to any successful business.
So eat those pancakes and enjoy Mardi Gras, but be prepared to wake up tomorrow and deal with the missteps, errors and gaps that need attention. Knowing these things will make next year’s celebration all that more powerful.
Be Awesome; Change the World
The Bleeding Edge 
Leave a comment