Kent Beck, known for the Extreme programming agile methodology, recently described two extremes of building software that he calls Forest & Desert. It strikes me as an engineering-centric framing of Ben Horowitz’s classic Peacetime CEO/Wartime CEO article.
In this analogy, the forest is a land of abundance. The team operates in full swing, aligned around a shared vision and common goal. They make steady, incremental progress. It is an era of peace, growth, and possibilities. Builders thrive here, crafting and exploring without constraints.
And then there’s the desert — a landscape of scarcity. In the desert, survival depends on discipline, structure, and urgency. Project management, documentation, estimates, promotion planning — these become the tools of the trade. It’s a war zone, where leaders rally their teams to cross harsh terrain to win a market, not just expand it. It’s an environment where necessity is the mother of invention — invigorating and unpredictable. It’s a place where you go rogue, writing your own rules.
An interesting question isn’t just one of where you are — forest or desert? — but about where your zone of genius lies. Some thrive in the creative abundance of the forest, imagining what’s next and building towards it. Others excel in the grit of the desert, forging a path through challenges and bringing structure to chaos.
There is another parallel here: the STaRS framework in Watkins’ The First 90 Days. One dimension that Watkins uses to differentiate the four types of situations (Startup, Turnaround, Realignment, Sustaining Success) is what constraints a leader is under. Two are like the desert’s, two are like those of a forest.
In a Watkins Startup and Turnaround, he asserts that there are few constraints on what you can and cannot do. Whereas in Realignment and Sustaining situations, the constraints are greater, as the organizations have significant strengths to draw from.
Personally, as a builder, I look at a forest and see limitless possibilities. The forest fuels my creativity and feeds my soul. But the desert? It sharpens my skills, pushing me to navigate the toughest challenges & to think unconventionally.
Where do you feel most at home? Guiding your team through the desert, or amidst the opportunities of the forest?