My youngest brother once had an English paper assignment where he had to write a two page creative essay about advice he had been given. Having procrastinated until the wee hours of the night, he came to me with a desperate face and exhausted eyes.
“Please give me some advice. It can be about anything, I just can’t think of good advice I can write a whole essay about.”
After playfully scolding him for watching football all day instead of starting the paper, my mind fluttered through the myriad of cliches and famously helpful sayings I had been taught over the years. I was surprised to find that most were not memorable at that moment, especially not to pass along to my brother as a piece of key advice.
And then there it was. I turned to him and said, “Don’t worry about writing the perfect paper. Write a paper then perfect it.”
It was one of my better pearls of wisdom, and I was pleased to see that the words sent my brother scampering excitedly to the computer to finish his assignment in record time.
Tonight I sit staring at the empty page, waiting for an article idea to pop into my head, up way too late the night before the assignment, so to speak, is due. I recall the advice I gave my brother, and it gets me to start writing what you are reading right now.
This is not just advice for English majors or writers – that would be quite short sighted, indeed. Think with broader strokes, about your business or even personal brand.
Of course you want to have an array of absolutely flawless products or services – who wouldn’t? But how many companies/people can you name that can deliver something perfect every time? Seriously, if you can name one I’d love to invest.
I’m not suggesting to ever put forth something that is sub-par, but if you don’t take a stab at that next great thing or unique twist on a common concept – how will it ever have the chance to impress your customers? How will you ever evolve as a person, business, brand?
Don’t be scared that your output won’t be perfect – only be afraid it won’t be. Nothing comes out perfect the first time, and often the hardest part is just starting.
Oh, and my brother got his first A+ on that paper.
November 5, 2007 at 2:16 pm |
In my experience it’s usually not the vision that’s lacking in most organizations, it’s the initiative.
When I was in Monaco years ago I was listening to a conversation between a scientist and an entrepreneur. The scientist was saying how he had ideas abound and that every time he came up with something new he would write it down and try to do some research at some point. The entrepreneur became irritated and blurted, “Books full of good ideas, isn’t that what libraries are for?”
It was two schools of thought clashing against each other. Yet at the end of the day they came to an agreement and began setting projects in motion that would have never come to fruit without each other.
Planning and goal setting is important, but initiative is the key to results.
November 5, 2007 at 8:53 pm |
Good points Kate. Taking action is the most important step of all.
November 6, 2007 at 11:42 am |
Thanks Jerad and Steven for the comments.
@Jerad: It sounds like you’ve worked for some great companies, because I know in my past work experiences the vision has been quite lacking. I mean, that’s why people hire outside consultants, designers, advertisers, etc isn’t it? Because they can’t think of the right ideas for themselves. But I suppose that’s a separate issue.
You are both right…initiative is paramount. Without it, the company will just be floating – and as they say: If you are treading water, you’re just putting off the sinking.
November 7, 2007 at 1:55 am |
Haha, I like this story! Sometimes really good ideas come when we think about them for others…all it takes is to turn it around and apply it to the originator, too! Seizing raw potential is a pretty crucial first step in most all things.
November 7, 2007 at 5:13 pm |
Thanks Joanne! You are absolutely right – most of my best ideas have been for projects not of my own, and what you explain is probably the reason why brainstorming is the absolute best way to keep your company moving in the right direction.
November 10, 2007 at 9:43 am |
Being devious, I might just go on a tangent again:
I like your very creative solution and point that any idea is worth running with so long as it is perfected. It eliminates procrastination, which makes it a simple yet powerful way of thinking yourself out of a mind block.
Designers use tools like this all the time as well when stumped for ideas. They are often daunted by a clean white page and can not sketch or write a user scenario. But give them clay to mould into a mock-product or some images of popular culture (a mood board) or a building-site to base their ideas on etc, and their creativity starts flowing. These tools (especially mood boards prepared by designers or marketing personnel) are essential tools in brainstorming sessions for designers in the more successful design consultancies such as IDEO. That process gets designers started and it’s fine if you just want to perfect a mediocre idea so that it becomes well rounded and accepted by the majority of your target user group.
Perfecting an ordinary idea should only be done to get movement happening when nobody knows what to do. It obviously does not guarantee originality and a well resolved solution. One ingredient is missing, and it’s not experience, knowledge or skills although they all help. It’s talent.
The general public may not know it, but very few designers actually can design. Sure, many designers can make a design look or function well. But it takes a talented designer to create original solutions (such as from an ordinary idea) that are highly resolved on all levels and that serves the market phenomenally well.
Lets face it, who wants another me-too solution to offer if they can make more money faster on a solution that is original, resolves many problems, not to mention offering less risk, wider avenues for commercialisation and creating potential for greater market presence… Proper use of talent in many industries makes a huge difference in the benefits reaped. Skimping on talent in one department / area of the business, usually means another area has to work harder (eg price wars) or be the focus of innovation, or the business’ standards and expectations of itself have to be lowered to accommodate its own lower potential. Few dreamer-entrepreneurs will ironically lower their expectations however, despite not being able to afford talent.
The other issue is that some technically-high risk industries where perfection is as important as the analysis of a project can not as often simply “run with just any idea” and hope to perfect it. Medical, aerospace, military… all similar examples. Whilst some tasks are fundamental enough to get away with that creative strategy, most situations require talent I think.
November 12, 2007 at 2:28 am |
Nail on head there Kate. Good ideas come from bad ideas, and perfect planning doesn’t exist. I don’t think I have ever come up with anything of practical use by trying to work out all the wrinkles in my head. Well said.
November 14, 2007 at 5:29 pm |
excellent! I am struggling with this right now! Today I have something to send to a client (rewriting a Web site) and I am paralyzed with fear that it needs to be PERFECT. I want to Wow him, and in tyring to do so, come up sorely lacking. Every word is wrong, every paragraph is dull.
Everyone waits for inspiration and motivation to come to them, when, in reality, it only comes when you take the first step.
thanks for the advice, I am going to go and just write. We can perfect it later.
November 19, 2007 at 11:11 pm |
Unfortunately, many times I’m forced to just put words on the screen or on paper just to get started. The good news, though, is that if I keep at it long enough, I’ll get something decent.
Ah, the power of revision!