We closed one of our funding rounds about the same time we landed our largest government R&D contract. At that moment, our plans were clear, our bank account was flush, and the horizon was bright. But I only got one day of basking. The next day I was back in the sprint, aligning our plans and expectations with reality. Within a year, our company was pivoting as the complexity of new technology ran into market acceptance and price tolerance. I needed real-time feedback from my team on what was working, and more importantly, what wasn’t.
