Thinking versus Doing
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The fastest way toward great results is a subtle mix and alternance between both.
It starts with thinking as we need to find “something”.
How bad or good does it have to be ? What is good enough ? Is there a threshold ?
There is no absolute answer. It depends on the culture, the mindset and the fears.
Once we have it, it’s time for doing.
Doing the hard work. The emotional labor.
Sharing our story with the world. In the field.
This gives us the chance to test it, learn and improve.
The thinkers-doers win all the races versus the thinkers-only as they give themselves the opportunity to try, fail, learn and make it better following a fast and iterative process.
There are dozens of books and methods explaining these powerful principles and yet very few people really put into practice.
I think it’s because most of us have been taught the other way since our youngest age.
We have been told that smart people think first, build a safe A plan and then, only, act. Not the opposite.
We are risk averse and we do not really know how to accept and valorize failures.
We confound mistakes and failures.
We mix decisions with outcomes.
We overmeasure (and overreact, because we have no patience)
We complicate what is simple and oversimplify what is complex.
We mix exploitation with exploration (and the methods to manage each)
We prefer not deciding than being wrong (…even if not deciding IS deciding)
We fear others’ judgment.
We have an instinct for perfection (some of us do not, but this is another story)
We consider we have plenty of time.
We procrastinate.
We prefer having one “zero risk” A plan and no B plan instead having four average A, B, C & D plans.
We perfectly know the solution is outside our buildings, but it’s more comfortable to stay inside (because it’s heated, I assume)
We feel uncomfortable with questions.
We know that no idea will resist the field test and we continue acting as if.
Let’s shift our daily business slightly toward actions and see what happens. If we don’t like the outcomes, it will be easy to pivot and try another way.