Launching a project or finding the perfect way to start a blog post can sometimes feel like an endless task, right? I know the struggle all too well. But there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years as Hostinger CEO: taking action is the key to getting things done. That’s something I firmly believe in – bias toward action is crucial to our success at Hostinger.
Taking action simply makes sense
Overthinking requires as much energy as taking action but yields far fewer results, if any. Often, endless discussions and considerations prevent progress or severely delay desired outcomes and new opportunities. If taking action demands the same effort as thinking about taking action but is far more productive, then it is only rational to prioritize the action.
Overthinking is a natural human reaction when faced with complexity and a fast-changing environment. By testing out different scenarios and outcomes in your head and analyzing various possibilities, you try to reduce this complexity and develop a low-risk solution based on previously known information, prior assumptions, and past experience. But it can only bring you that far. It is not conducive to a rapid learning process and delays iterations that lead to growth.
Embracing the unknown
While seemingly safer, this ‘measure nine times, cut on the tenth’ approach leads to indecision and inaction. It limits learning opportunities and reduces the possibilities opened up unexpected outcomes. This approach results in analysis paralysis and frequently becomes an excuse for inaction – not all unknowns are considered, not all variables are accounted for, not all relevant data are gathered, and not all people are consulted!
And thus, stasis reigns.
You can never gain full knowledge of the situation. There is always an element of uncertainty, which is precisely what can open new opportunities – but only if you take action, learn from the outcome, and adapt accordingly. From this perspective, there are no failures, only learning experiences. It is much more efficient to act and see what works and what doesn’t rather than trying to figure it all out through endless analysis.
The only failure is hesitancy
I see inaction as a failure because it means lost opportunities to grow and learn. A clear example is our Employee Ambassadorship program, which I was initially skeptical about. Doubts over its potential success led to back-and-forth discussions among team members, with no action being taken.
Finally, we decided to go with the flow and launched the program. After we did, it completely changed my perspective, turning me from a critic into one of its biggest supporters. I was not only surprised by the initial results and the momentum the program generated – I also gained a significant learning experience reinforcing the value of taking action without fear. From this perspective, my failure was not ensuring the program was greenlit earlier. At Hostinger, we must avoid such hesitancy.
Acting while others wait
Bias toward action gives the company a better chance to gain a competitive edge by facilitating innovation and allowing for greater agility and adaptability to changing circumstances. On many occasions, this action-oriented approach has helped Hostinger take advantage of changes in the business environment.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly changed our operations and adjusted our product offers and marketing campaigns to match the new market needs. More recently, we’ve embraced the AI wave proactively with Kodee, and launched Hostinger Horizons.
There are also smaller trends, like the growing popularity of game servers – a tendency we’re actively engaging with rather than merely observing from the sidelines, as many other companies do. Being proactive strengthens our business and makes it harder for others to compete with us.
Being fast, not reckless
While learning by doing is valuable, I fully understand the risks of acting too quickly. Bias toward action does not imply recklessness or acting without thinking or competence. Instead, it recognizes that many things can be learned or adjusted along the way. It’s also important to remember that many decisions are reversible. For me, having 60-70% of the available information is usually enough to take action, with intuition and gut feeling also playing a significant role.
If we only had this one principle, there would indeed be a risk of reckless decisions. However, we achieve a proper balance because we apply bias toward action with other principles like ownership, customer obsession, focus, or the highest standards. These other principles promote mature and responsible action. Sometimes, we do need to sacrifice speed to ensure our customers’ satisfaction or the company’s financial sustainability isn’t compromised. We must not rush for the sake of rushing but rather act with purpose, firmness, and competence.
Feedback is crucial
I believe that the culture of transparency at Hostinger is key to making wise decisions. It fosters honest and effective feedback, allowing us to quickly determine whether something is working. Feedback provides an opportunity to identify significant potential early on and direct more energy and resources toward accelerating promising projects.
It’s important to receive proper feedback from the start and not shy away from it being critical. Not all ideas are worth implementing, and not everything works out in the end. That’s natural and shouldn’t stop us from doing things. What truly wastes time, energy, and resources is gathering feedback only after a task or project is fully completed. The feedback loop must be continuous because it helps us recognize early on when we need to change direction or make adjustments.
Feedback is especially valuable at Hostinger, as we have a high concentration of smart people and competencies. It also reduces the risk of overthinking and allows you to take action more confidently, knowing you can rely on your colleagues’ support, advice, and insights.
Opening up new paths
Effective communication is key to decisive action, which I believe is well above the industry average at Hostinger. The way we articulate and share our plans and goals ensures that everyone can participate in the action, share relevant data and feedback, and support learning through action.
All of this positions us, both as individuals and as a company, for better growth and success. It also benefits our clients, who receive more innovative products and new functionalities. The solutions currently available shape the client’s perception of their needs. So, if we want to offer them something truly new, we must step away from familiar paths and embrace the unknown to create things that haven’t been done before.
We won’t achieve this by merely speculating, theorizing, or hypothesizing. We must take a trial-and-error approach, exploring new possibilities and testing things in the real world, learning and adapting as we go.
Big leaps start with small steps
Embracing bias toward action wasn’t easy for me at first, but now I’m confident that the most important thing is to take the first step and build from there, breaking down a bigger goal into smaller, manageable tasks. For example, holiday planning might start with buying plane tickets and renting a car. Similarly, the key at work is to take the initial step to begin iterating, always keeping the bigger picture in mind while setting smaller goals. When you get used to taking action, it gets easier and easier to proceed that way.
The time gap between thinking and acting must be reduced in an ever-faster-moving world. You cannot expect to learn everything first and then act accordingly. Instead, action is a precondition of learning. Let’s act on our ideas without hesitation.
Daugirdas is the CEO at Hostinger. With plenty of experience scaling business operations worldwide, he constantly seeks new opportunities to drive Hostinger’s growth. Daugirdas values effectiveness and honesty—they guide his approach to business as much as his love for rock and roll.
