... one mouthful at a time.
And that's really what Innovation is all about as well. Looking at the enormity of the task at hand - to launch an new idea - can seem very very daunting. There are two things that are required to take the fear out of the task...
Firstly, break the task down into bite size morsels. It may seem counter intuitive, but start at the end, as this will focus the attention on the goal. Clarify what is the objective and think SMART - though I like to change Achievable with Ambitious as I believe Achievable is already connected with Realistic.
Once you have the goal set, work back and think about the things that are required to make that task happen. For example, if I set out that I wanted to make a cup of tea, I would first off define how I like my tea. Then I would have to work out the steps in the reverse order... serve the tea, stir the tea, put milk back in fridge, add the milk, take the milk out of the fridge, dunk the tea bag, add the water, place tea bag in mug, find mug, turn the kettle on, fill the kettle... Now I have the work flow set out, run through it in the correct order and see if it makes sense or if anything is missing. Now all that is left to do is to add in accurate timings & allocate resources to the
The second thing you need is perseverance & determination. And bags of it. Some little tools to help here... set time limits on each of the task outlined above. Make commitments to others, as you are more likely to do them. Allocate time during the week to do them (e.g. a Sunday evening). Keep it alive by constantly referring back to it, perhaps by keeping a copy of the plan in a workbook and checking progression daily - this will ensure that there's a sense of achievement & progression which in turn will revitalise the energy & input into the project - a virtuous engine.
Its simple... but that of course is how so many ideas have come to life... not in one big gulp, like a gigantic python with a dislocating jaw, but more of patient and determined single bite at a time.
And that's really what Innovation is all about as well. Looking at the enormity of the task at hand - to launch an new idea - can seem very very daunting. There are two things that are required to take the fear out of the task...
Firstly, break the task down into bite size morsels. It may seem counter intuitive, but start at the end, as this will focus the attention on the goal. Clarify what is the objective and think SMART - though I like to change Achievable with Ambitious as I believe Achievable is already connected with Realistic.
Once you have the goal set, work back and think about the things that are required to make that task happen. For example, if I set out that I wanted to make a cup of tea, I would first off define how I like my tea. Then I would have to work out the steps in the reverse order... serve the tea, stir the tea, put milk back in fridge, add the milk, take the milk out of the fridge, dunk the tea bag, add the water, place tea bag in mug, find mug, turn the kettle on, fill the kettle... Now I have the work flow set out, run through it in the correct order and see if it makes sense or if anything is missing. Now all that is left to do is to add in accurate timings & allocate resources to the
The second thing you need is perseverance & determination. And bags of it. Some little tools to help here... set time limits on each of the task outlined above. Make commitments to others, as you are more likely to do them. Allocate time during the week to do them (e.g. a Sunday evening). Keep it alive by constantly referring back to it, perhaps by keeping a copy of the plan in a workbook and checking progression daily - this will ensure that there's a sense of achievement & progression which in turn will revitalise the energy & input into the project - a virtuous engine.
Its simple... but that of course is how so many ideas have come to life... not in one big gulp, like a gigantic python with a dislocating jaw, but more of patient and determined single bite at a time.
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