The More You Think, The More It Appears That You Are (Apparently)
‘In The Right Place At The Right Time’.
Look Everything Up, Write Everything Down.
20 Mile March
Ronald Amundsen beat Captain Scott to the South Pole by consistently marching 20 miles a day. In bad weather the team did it anyway, and in good they stopped at 20 to save energy for the next day. Scott’s team either stayed in their tents on bad days or overshot on good ones and wore themselves out.
–
‘Fanatic Discipline’: Don’t ease off just because things are difficult, or overdo it when things are easy.
Act Yourself Into A New Way of Thinking
People love sitting around talking about strategy. It gives them an excuse to drink coffee and eat biscuits on company time.
–
Unless you get on and do it, you’re just talking.
–
“Yes it works in practice, but does it work in theory?”
–
“People are much more likely to act their way into a new way of thinking
than think their way into a new way of acting.”
~ Richard Pascale
–
Once the thinking is done, stop talking and get on with it.
All Models Are Wrong
“All models are wrong, but some are useful.”
~ George Box
–
“Seek simplicity and distrust it.”
~ Alfred North Whitehead
–
Models are often simplified to the point of being simplistic. So next time you are presented with a model, challenge it. And next time you are designing one, don’t necessarily believe it.
All Plans Are Fiction
A plan is just a plan. Just because it is written down, it doesn’t mean that’s what is going to happen.
–
“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.”
~ Colin Powell
–
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
~ Mike Tyson
–
“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
~ George S. Patton
–
The best approach is to draw up a reasonable plan, fast, and then get on with it.
Axe Administrivia
Concentrate on action, not activity.
–
Take the time to work out what that specific single action is, and just do that.
Be Relentlessly Curious
A lot of people think that those who come up with inspired ideas are either supremely talented or just plain lucky. Not necessarily true. It is possible to increase your chances of being innovative.
–
Starts with being relentlessly curious.
–
Being innovative could be a direct result of applying your curiosity to an issue.
Business (Does Not Equal) Busyness
“Go to work ON the business, rather than IN it.”
~ Michael E. Gerber
–
Dedicate enough quality time to thinking about important issues.
Break With The Past
It’s hard to move on when you keep referring back to the past. When it comes to generating new ideas, you need to forget the past.
–
“Break with your immediate past.”
~ Adam Morgan
–
Forget everything you know and think again. Sweep away the cobwebs of old thinking to allow a truly unfettered basis for fresh thinking.
Build a Greenhouse
Research shows that people have more ideas when the ceiling is high and if the walls are painted blue.
–
“Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.”
~ Thor Heyerdahl
Bullshitter, Waffler or Wafflee?
Bullshitters are not necessarily liars, but they have much more freedom than someone who tells the truth or lies.
–
For every waffler, there is a wafflee. Next time a waffler should ask, “I have a roughly formulated idea I’d like to discuss with you for five minutes. When is convenient for you?”
Close or Far Away?
“The Adjacent Possible” (coined by Stuart Kauffman) refers to the nearest next steps that can be made in relation to any challenge. It is always the best place to start when trying to innovate.
–
Begin the process by mapping out the elements closest to the subject. Then work out the simplest next thing to do to expand outward from the centre.
–
Finding an opportunity that is close is always easier than one that is far away.
Create a ‘Done’ Wall
Put everything done on the wall, thereby reminding everyone of how much progress has been made (so no one sits around worrying that they are not getting anywhere.)
Do Nothing
Ricardo Semler suggests that when anything untoward happens you should do nothing on the assumption that good sense will eventually sort it out.
–
Far too many situations are enflamed by tit-for-tat reactions.
–
In many instances, it would have been better off doing nothing at all. How do we explain a company with 10,000 employees who work hard all year only to make a loss?
–
Next time you are contemplating some frenetic activity, consider doing nothing.
Do We Really Need To Do This?
Find out if what is being done has a clear purpose.
Do X, Anticipate Y
Takes a few seconds to consider: “If I do X, then Y will happen.”
- If Y is desirable, then do X.
- If Y is irrelevant or inconsequential, then still do X.
- If Y is not desirable, then don’t do X.
Do You Have a Point?
There is no point in talking unless you have point.
–
It’s perfectly fine to say: “I don’t know.”
Don’t Assume People Won’t Understand
“It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear.”
~ Frank Luntz
–
First, almost everything anyone says can be completely misunderstood.
Second, do not patronize your audience by assuming they won’t get it.
–
It’s your job to ensure clear comprehension.
Don’t Confuse Direction With Destination
Your direction today may well be different from your direction tomorrow, even though the destination remains the same. Smart people understand that many directions are needed to reach the ultimate destination.
Don’t Confuse Movement With Progress
Just because a lot is going on it doesn’t mean that you are actually getting anywhere. It just makes you feel productive. It’s a bit like a goalkeeper diving to save a penalty. He might be just as effective staying exactly where he is.
–
Movement doesn’t necessarily mean progress.
–
You need to be doing the right things.
Efficiency Is A Sophisticated Form Of Laziness
The more organized you are, the more you can relax.
–
“Freely chosen, discipline is absolute freedom.”
~ Ron Serino
–
Lazing around for ages and then expecting everything to fall into place at the last minute doesn’t work.
First Question, Big Pause
Conversation is two-way. You make yourself understood. Then you pay attention carefully to what the other person is saying.
–
Instead of diving in with any old rubbish just to fill the silence, try leaving a big pause.
Fool’s Gold White Space
White space is blank, and when it’s on a strategist’s market map, it makes them think there’s a gap to be exploited. They might be wrong. ‘Fool’s gold white space’ is an apparent gap in the market, but in truth it’s a failure masquerading as a viable opportunity. Many an innovator has been fooled by it.
–
Next time you come across what appears to be an unoccupied area, ask:
- Why is this space unoccupied?
- What do they know that we don’t?
Fuzzy Front End
Fuzzy front end is used to describe the messy uncertain bit at the beginning of any project. Don’t panic. It’s normal in any creative endeavour.
–
“The fuzziness never really leaves as long as you are attempting
to do something new.”
~ Max McKeown
–
Creative people are comfortable with ambiguity.
–
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it.”
~ Aristotle
Ham and Eggs
“Other players are involved in tennis, but I’m committed.
It’s like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.”
~ Martina Navratilova
–
Martina Navratilova was described as “the greatest singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player who’s ever lived.”
–
Creativity needs full commitment. No point in going into it half-hearted. If you do find yourself losing enthusiasm, you might reasonably conclude that the idea is not good enough.
Have an Anti List
An Anti List is a list of things that you are not going to do.
- What you will never do. (Sets up principles)
- What you don’t want to do. (Flushes out desire and motivation)
- What you won’t be doing in the near future. (Determines priority)
–
Match (combine) the Anti List to (with) the conventional task (to-do) list and you have a powerful formula.
Have You Got A Minute?
Being personable costs nothing, makes your working life more pleasant and better for everyone else.
–
Constructive, thoughtful people attract more of the same. They give and earn respect.
–
Always have time to help out a colleague. When they ask if you have a minute to discuss something, the answer should, within reason, be yes.
Hit The Target
A target is just a target. A percentage is just a percentage. 1% of a lot might be a lot. 99% of not very much might be . . . not very much.
–
By all means set targets, but do it on your own terms.
How Broad Is Your Church?
A broad church has lots of different types of people in it. Variety is not only welcomes, but actively encouraged. So when you are putting teams together, do not hire in your own image.
–
“Hire character. Train skill.”
~ Peter Schutz
–
Allocate the right tasks to the right people.
Kill More Good Ideas
It’s not necessarily the number of ideas that matter. It’s how good they are, and whether they ever get done. In many cases, concentrating on too many ideas spreads resources too thinly. That can be as detrimental to success as not having many ideas at all.
–
Don’t just get rid of the bad ideas. Kill some good ones as well especially if they are not quite good enough.
Manage Modestly
“Humility is attentive patience.”
~ Simone Weil
–
Humility goes a long way. Hire people with modesty. People who don’t have to show off regularly, nor brag incessantly, nor always take the credit.
–
If you are managing people, show some humility.
Novelty Overload
Everyone loves new stuff. It’s usually more interesting than the old stuff. But beware of novelty overload. New ideas fight for attention, time and resources, and can prove very distracting.
–
“I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn’t like it.”
~ Samuel Goldwyn
–
It takes courage to recognise something for what it is, and then reject it if necessary in the interest of the greater good.
Outcome Not Output
It’s the outcome that matters, not the output.
–
At the beginning of every project or task, ask, “What is the easiest way to achieve our desired outcome?”
Panic Early
Panicking isn’t ideal, but if you are going to do it, then do so early in the process.
–
Next time you have a complex task, be sure to panic early . . . generate an approach, and set it in motion. You can always adjust later.
Pretend You Already Have What You Want
Worrying is unproductive. It uses up huge amounts of time and creates stress. So you might as well use the time instead to pretend that you already have what you want (envisage the successful outcome you crave.)
–
Successful sports people have already pictured themselves winning.
–
Pretend you already have what you want increases the clarity of your ambition. It might be fantasy, but then so might the thing you are currently worrying about.
Progress Not Perfection
Go for progress, not perfection.
–
Give it your best shot and then make it happen.
Prototyping As Shorthand
“Wouldn’t it be great if . . .?”
“Yes it would. Can you make it work?”
–
Making rough prototypes of proposed products cuts to the chase fast and can avoid months or even years of talk.
–
This is called ‘bodystorming’: using physical actions to bring an idea in a brainstorm to life.
–
Fast and early prototyping improves any innovation process.
Quitting Can Be Winning
Although painful, when things are clearly not working, quitting is better than persisting with something sub-standard.
–
Pulling the plug on any project requires bravery, particularly when everyone has invested so much time and effort. But sometimes it’s the right thing to do.
RTFM
Read The F*#king Manual.
Say No (Politely)
There are many ways to say no without using the word no:
- asking a new question
- reframing the request
- offer an alternative that is better
Small Things = Big Difference
Old joke:
Texan: “Where I come from boy, I can drive all day and still be on my own land.”
Englishman: “Yeah, I had a car like that once.”
–
Small changes
- are usually less costly, and often free.
- attract less attention from bosses and meddlers, so they are easier to implement.
- are easier to rectify if they don’t achieve their original objective.
–
Bear in mind, the ‘next big thing’ could be small.
Speed Doesn’t Kill
“Speed never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary,
that’s what gets you.”
~ Jeremy Clarkson
–
All projects benefit from momentum.
–
We start off very excited with our new toy. Then we have a motivational dip. So don’t hang around letting bureaucracy and inertia set in. Grasp the initial energy of the new idea and run with it as fast as possible.
STFU
In the Jazz Cafe music venue in London, there are four letters painted onto a pillar by the stage: STFU.
–
STFU = Shut The F*#k UP.
–
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
~ Simone Weil
–
If you really want to help out someone, give them your time and proper attention.
Take The Issues Seriously, But Not Yourself
Approach issues seriously whilst still adopting a light touch to personalities and people. A little self-deprecation goes a long way.
Tame Your Technology
We need to learn to pay attention to what is in front of us rather than what might be happening elsewhere.
–
Most of us suffer from Continuous Partial Attention. We are always fiddling around and convincing ourselves that we can ‘multi-task’ effectively.
Tell The Truth
Telling the truth makes your life easier. You don’t ever have to remember what you said.
–
“It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty
and how few by deceit.”
~ Noel Coward
–
When it comes to keeping people informed, you are better off replacing a trickle of doubt with a flood of naked truth.
–
“The void created by the failure to communicate is soon filled with poison,
drivel and misrepresentation.”
~ C. Northcote Parkinson
The Power of Sequence
Pixar has a proven formula for successful storytelling (The Pixar Pitch):
- Once upon a time, A.
- Every day, B.
- One day, C.
- Because of that, D.
- Because of that, E.
- Until finally, F.
–
Getting the order right is critical for clear explanation. The power of sequence ensures that your audience comes along with you.
Thinking Is Free, So Do It More Often
No time to think? Poor excuse. Thinking needn’t take very long. And it’s totally free. And it’s probably the most powerful asset that you have.
–
“You can resist an army, but not an idea whose time has come.”
~ Victor Hugo
–
Thinking clearly will prevent you from doing lots of things that you don’t believe in, or that won’t get you very far.
Think, Do
Sit and think. When you have thought of something, do it immediately. Keep doing this until you have cleared all the small details from your mind, or your task list.
–
Multi-tasking has been proven not to work well. Rapid Sequential Tasking works better.
–
Think, do, finish, next.
Turn ORs Into ANDs
Sometimes quantity is the first step when generating creative ideas.
–
“Managers need to take ORs and turn them into ANDs.”
~ Roger Martin
–
Instead of saying, “We could do this OR this,” the discussion should concentrate on “We could do this AND this.”
–
Great companies tried many things first and just kept the winners.
What’s In It For Me?
This question works in two directions:
- Directed inward to yourself – a critical way to work out whether you want to do something or not. If you see no satisfaction in the task or project, then try to avoid it.
- Put yourself in the shoes of the other person, and imagine them asking this question. Remember, people have to be sufficiently motivated in order to agree with you.
When The Facts Change, Change Your Mind
It is good to have a clear point of view. But things rarely go exactly as planned. New information emerges all the time. We need to realise when to change.
–
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?”
~ John Maynard Keynes
