Every time we have to start a new project or venture we are faced with one of the most difficult decisions to make: How do we start? Where do we start?
Some years ago, a good boss of mine told me: “don’t try to reinvent the wheel, recycle and optimize what you already have”.
I’m a little disobedient, so I took half the advice.
Of course it’s good to make what we already have more efficient. But why should we ignore our (and our team’s) creativity?
So, what should we do? Answer: Multi-task. On one hand, optimize the current processes that you will still be needing in your plan. On the other, let your ideas free, no matter how wild or unfeasible they might seem.
I was also taught in college and told at work, that whenever faced with a new project I should start with an idea so crappy that it would be practically impossible to implement, and from there, start enhancing it until it works.
The problem with this, is that sometimes there’s a barrier we won’t be able to overcome: we started with a crappy idea. So the whole project will be based on a pretty weak and imperfect pillar. The roots are rotten.
So, why not start the other way around?… in Utopia.
Imagine the best and wackiest scenario. Something so good that, just like the crappy idea, will be impossible to implement. But instead, start slashing, cutting, cropping, adding and removing parts to make that utopic idea match reality.
Article by Fernando
This is my blog - I write about careers, talent management and organizational development. I've been featured at Monster.com, Alltop, WeBlogBetter and BloggingPro among others. I hope you leave this blog with more than you arrived and I look forward to discussing your ideas and projects with you. See you in the comments section.
Fernando has written 228 awesome articles for us at Fernando Tarnogol – Careers Blog
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