Merchandise Progress Through the Messy Middle
Short-circuit the human reward system with agreed micro-goals and a narrated sense of progress.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 90%
The middle years of any venture are messy because they're full of lows, anonymity, uncertainty, and anxiety, and human biology craves constant rewards to stick with anything. Belsky's answer is to short-circuit the reward system with mutually agreed micro-goals and milestones you celebrate even when they don't objectively matter, and to actively merchandise progress so the team doesn't go stir-crazy. Leaders are the steward of the narrative, because progress itself is a source of motivation.
Origin
Scott Belsky's framework from his book The Messy Middle, drawing on research that progress begets progress and is a source of motivation.
Core principles
- 01The middle is volatile and full of lows; enduring anonymity, uncertainty, and anxiety is the job.
- 02Humans are biologically wired to need frequent rewards and affirmation to persist.
- 03Great work takes years, which defies our natural need for constant reward.
- 04Progress begets progress; a visible sense of progress is itself motivating.
- 05The leader is the steward of the narrative and must merchandise progress.
How to run it
- 1
Set mutually agreed micro-goals
Define small milestones with the team that you will celebrate even though, in the greater scheme, they don't matter much.
Pro tip The agreement matters as much as the goal; shared celebration is what short-circuits the reward system.
- 2
Celebrate them deliberately
Mark each micro-goal to give the team the affirmation their biology demands, keeping the team and the dream alive.
Pro tip Treat celebration as a retention tool, not a frivolity.
Watch out Skipping celebration lets the natural need for reward pull people away from a multi-year effort.
- 3
Merchandise progress as narrative
Constantly tell the team where you are and that you're advancing, like a driver narrating the cross-country trip to passengers whose windows are blacked out.
Pro tip Passengers who can't see out ('we crossed state lines, traffic is clearing') go stir-crazy without the narrative; supply it relentlessly.
Watch out If the team doesn't receive the progress narrative, they will go stir crazy even when real progress is happening.
In the wild
Belsky describes product leaders driving their teams across country with the windows blacked out and everyone in the backseat; without being told they're making progress, crossing state lines, and clearing traffic, the passengers go stir crazy.
→ Leaders who merchandise the narrative of progress keep the team motivated through the low-visibility middle.
Common mistakes
Assuming real progress motivates on its own
Even when the team is genuinely advancing, people who don't receive the narrative of that progress go stir crazy; leaders who neglect to merchandise it lose morale despite doing the work.
Dismissing micro-goals as unimportant because they don't matter long-term
The whole point is to celebrate milestones that don't objectively matter much, because that's what short-circuits the human reward system; skipping them leaves the team without the affirmation biology requires to endure years of work.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders and product leaders trying to keep a team motivated through a long, low-visibility build with few external wins.
Not ideal for
Short sprints or projects with frequent natural wins, where manufactured milestones would feel hollow.
From the transcript
“I think part of it is short-circuiting the reward system. You know, finding micro goals and milestones that are you know, mutually agreed upon.”
“we're driving our teams across country as product leaders with the windows blacked out in the backseat”
“as product leaders like we have to merchandise progress. We have to be the steward of this narrative.”
From the episode
Lessons on building product sense, navigating AI, optimizing the first mile, and making it through the messy middle
Scott Belsky (Adobe, Behance)