Lessons from the AAP story

The AAP lost the municipal elections in Delhi. While there are many who think it 'serves them right', I think there are some solid lessons for start-ups and businesses.

Let me get this out there : AAP is one of the most successful start-up ideas. From nothing to a serious challenger to legacy, well entrenched players is a great achievement in itself.

So what can start-ups and other businesses learn from their humbling?

Lesson 1: Build differentiation. Stick to it. Deliver it. Repeat.

• Prove your model before you scale up. AAP went from nothing to winning Delhi in about 2 years. Their promise of a different kind of politics, focus on governance and delivery captured the imagination of the electorate. It was disruptive. And they won a decisive mandate on this promise. Instead of delivering what they promised, they were distracted by trying to scale up in other states and become a national alternative.

Lesson 2: more of the same thinking leads to stagnation.

• Founders are creators, do not give them Demi-god status. They take a fledgling idea, build it, add their unwavering belief and conviction and attract others to join their journey to make their creation bigger. As their idea grows, so should they. Because what got you here, isn't necessarily what will take you forward. As you scale up, so should your talent pool. You need to be able to dip into a diverse pool of talent.

Lesson 3: delivery of promises made and accountability for actions carries more weight with stakeholders

• Grow beyond the initial 'challenger' and 'disruptive' mindset. The AAP and its leadership confused challenge and disruption to mean agitation and attrition all the time. Its stakeholders (the people of Delhi and all who believed their vision of alternate politics) expected leadership and delivery once they came to power. There seemed to be little of either. Externalizing every issue (EVM's being the latest) led to dissonance and a feeling that they lacked accountability.

And the biggest lesson of all: the customer / electorate is not just king & queen, but is also always watching. Ignore them at your own peril.