Teeing up confidence
/Victories make teams stronger. Lay a path of quick wins to your overall goals and you will bolster confidence. Bolder teams win more often.
“We must set ourselves up for success” has been a top-five truism for decades. Gives people the warm and fuzzies before plans are laid, and it’s harmless if action follows intent. Here’s how my think big, act small advice helps you make sure that happens.
Goals vs steps
Big goals are great. What’s the point of aiming low?
But big goals are achieved in steps. Some of those steps will be easy, some will be prudent risk-reducers, and some will be giant leaps. Never plan in giant leaps.
Any task whose solution cannot be envisioned in one hour should be broken down:
What information does the team need? What information does the team have?
What additional experience will avoid “we don’t know what we don’t know”?
These questions define gaps that the plan must fill:
Will you need more customer input before you begin, each week, or in a couple of months?
Do you need to solve technical problems that you haven’t solved before? What makes you think you’ll solve them in time?
Have you identified experiments that will improve your confidence—or tell you to cancel the project? Are these real early in your plan?
Are you asking your partner to do something they’ve never done before? For you? How much are they learning on this job?
Any task should be broken down until the team is 95% confident of success—before they execute.
That way they can win. And that sets off a virtuous cycle of confidence building.
How adventurous are you?
Setting out on a journey without a roadmap is an adventure. Great fun when you’re comfortable with the stakes.
Consider some big changes you’ve made. How many of these changes bolstered confidence? How many felt like adventures?
How many adventures can you afford in your business?
Trusting Technology is a book about forming ideas, exploring opportunities with customers and colleagues, and building your future together. Order your copy here.