Sometimes a project goes so badly wrong, the only intelligent response is to mush it up into a proverbial ball…
Then tear the ball to pieces….
Then throw it all on the ground in a big heap…
Then jump up and down on the heap twenty times…
Then set fire to it.
…..and start all over again.
We went on a beautiful hike this morning. You can get an idea of the vibe from the pic below.
When I got back I had a look at my phone: Meeting requests, complaints, fires to put out all over the place from work.
The contrast is jarring. But at least with a software based business it is possible to travel and work at the same time.
I need to practice juggling the two because I’m loving the hikes but I need to pay for it somehow!
How to achieve the mission?
The strategy lays out your approach to achieving a mission.
For example, if your mission is to pass an exam, your strategy should include some studying.
Laying out the right strategy will allow you to incorporate the mission into your life along with all your other commitments.
An important assignment, a mission is focussed.
It works towards the dream and vision you might have, but it is very much grounded in the real world. It is specific. Many missions may achieve a larger dream or a vision.
If my dream is to sell solar power to the world, my first relevant mission might be to become an accredited environmental engineer, or a solar technician.
A mission is an important task and it has a beginning and an end. It is a clarification of what is important and what is not. Do this, don’t do that.
Guided by the vision, a mission zooms in on the day to day stuff that needs to be executed before a dream comes true.
That’s my take.
Vision is the dreaming part. Seeing an ideal future. Looking up ahead at where you want to go.
I don’t struggle with vision as I have an active imagination. I can picture myself in various situations quite easily. What’s harder is to fit this dream into your everyday life.
Thinking about the vision long and hard leads to a refined version. Why this vision and not another? What is the core drive behind this dream?
I would place one boundary on the vision you have. Make the vision about something other than yourself. I think Ego will only get you so far. To complete bigger projects might need a bigger cause, such as community, utility, risk management, etc.
I have found a useful framework for planning a project. Its origins are mostly from the military. Its application to the business world, and in fact to any dream you may want to fulfil are most useful.
I will be outlining each section and then over the coming days running through what I think each one means practically.
So, the sections/framework:
There is an interesting mix of harder and softer stuff in there. Culture and values being softer in my mind than tactics or strategy.
I’m finding it useful to focus and to plan. Something I can always use help on.
If you need to run a business, this might help you.
It’s a very valuable repository from a very generous Venture Capitalist:
The world is your oyster. (Or as they say in Kenya, the world is your ostrich). This is a fine saying full of hope and optimism, but how do you know what part of the world/oyster/ostrich to focus on? How do you define scope for your next project?
Scoping your work is probably the most important part. Scope is what lets us understand where to allocate time and resources to a project. It sets the boundaries, and it is very subjective.
How to decide on a focus and a scope of a project then? Stick with what you know. This is hard because the internet and TV can convince you that you know about all sorts of stuff. But to quote Seth Godin: “There’s a difference between being aware of the emergency of the day and having firsthand experience and firsthand empathy for different people in different places.”
Focus then on something which you understand through first hand experience. Perhaps you can show people how to do something (check out my mate Martin’s excellent Vlog series for his art). Or perhaps you know exactly where there is a gap in the market. The point is – take the real, personal interactions you have in the world and grow the project from there.
I like to play squash. Probably the best advice I have been given is to only give 70% with each shot, and focus all that energy on cleanly hitting the ball. Do it properly at 70% rather than flying in and flailing around at 110% (which is my natural inclination!)
This is more than just a squash tactic. I am at my best when I am calmly dealing with what is in front of me. If I decide to go 110% and expend every ounce of energy in pursuit of one thing, i usually burn out pretty fast.
Life is a juggling act. Keep some energy in store. Keep your head and wits about you. Do things in the correct way.
Marlon’s coat was a Grohl coat. Marlon felt bulletproof in his coat. He had a feeling it might outlast him and the next few Smugglers after him to wear it. Its tailoring spell meant it fit him so well it was like a warm pair of pyjamas. He could keep a week of rations in the pockets, and he never felt cold. Or wet. Or hot. Just right.
Excerpt taken from Grohl’s most holy book: The Smuggler’s Handbooke
“A coate is first and foremost for wearing on Smuggler missions. For alle seasones, a coate is needed by yeah Smugglers. Whan thy coate is made, maketh the coate of magical leather. Magical leather is only righteous for such a vital dude as a Smuggler, especially in dark times as these. The spells cast on the coate should repel water and snowe, insulate thy body from any other alien liquide. A heating spell may be needed whan thy smuggling missions take thee far North or South. Give thy coate pocket spells for storage and never let thy coate out of sight for fear of alien wear and pollution most foul.”
Grohl was known as the Godfather of Smuggling. His coats outlasted the man himself, and ironically have become part of the growing inter-galactic illicit trade. Value in drugs, guns, animals, songs and chocolate is only matched by value in Grohl’s limited edition coats. The Godfather is known to have made only thirty-three in his lifetime.
Chimpwithcans 