All tagged Trust your gut
One of the hardest things to get your head around when you’ve decided to create something new, is that no one has the answer to what you need to do.
How your offering should be designed, what it should do, how it should be priced - all of this is up for debate. There may be comparables out there - models that you can compare to and get ideas from, and they can offer a guide, a few suggestions along the path.
There’s many things to consider when we’re making a decision that relates to people - whether we’re hiring someone for our company, deciding on a contractor for a particular job, or choosing between candidates for elected office.
We need to assess their qualifications, their technical competency, their work experience as well as their proposed plan of action (what they’ll do once they’re in the role). All of these are important indicators of the individual’s ability to be successful in the role and it makes sense that we be diligent in evaluating these factors.
I remember watching an interview many years ago with Kevin Cronin, lead singer and one of the main creative forces behind R.E.O. Speedwagon. He was talking about his creative process behind their hit “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and how, as a creation of his, it was one that was very difficult for him to let go of.
“It was a great day, but I thought I had fucked it up.”
“We felt like we’d blown an opportunity to be great.”
“I really thought we were crap.”
On July 13th, 1985, U2 took to the stage at Wembley stadium for their designated slot at Live Aid, the global concert for African famine relief. This was pre-Joshua Tree, so while they were popular, they were nowhere near the household name that they are now.
Many years ago, I worked with a senior consulting partner who liked to talk in puzzles. Instead of giving us specific marching orders, he’d talk around the issues and then ask us to put together a deck for his review.
For example, as we’d talk through a proposal we were working on, he’d talk about the client situation, the range of issues they were facing as well…
There are times when persistence, dedication, devotion are absolutely essential. Nothing great has ever been achieved by flitting from one activity to another, without considered thought for quality, without regard for tangible results. Success - however you define it - depends on this.
But to persist in situations that don't align with your inherent values, that don't feel right in that regard, is a recipe for failure.
