In order to exploit a forest, you need to cut down some trees to let the others grow… The resources (time, money, people) are always limited and have to be dedicated to a limited number of initiatives.
We usually forget (or don’t accept) that choosing is impossible without giving up.
Choosing is Giving Up
In order to exploit a forest, you need to cut down some trees to let the others grow… The resources (time, money, people) are always limited and have to be dedicated to a limited number of initiatives.
We usually forget (or don’t accept) that choosing is impossible without giving up.
The Right Time
The target and the clock merge: like when launching a rocket, you have to choose the right time window.
Too early would be wasting the idea, not being in the position to make it a success, and giving it to a potential competitor. And too late…
An innovation is an idea that meets a market.
The Right Soil
Palm trees can even grow in London… with appropriate soil and care.
It is the job of the management to create the right conditions to allow an idea grow into innovation.
Be on Target!
The secret of success is professionalism, using the right method :
define the Timetable
list the Actions
assign the Responsibilities
keep the Goals clear
call on the right Experts
use the adequate Tools
The Knights of the Good Idea
Like the “Round Table”, the Good Idea needs its Knights, able to bring the energy to overcome the obstacles and to make the change happen, ready to “die” for it :
a champion, who will develop and express it
a sponsor, who will promote it at the highest level
a project manager, who will bring it to life…
Having a good idea without its “knights” is just leading to failure.
The Valley of Despair
Changing means aiming at moving from a given level of efficiency towards a higher one. But on the way, a difficult phase always has to be passed through : the Valley of Despair, where the situation deteriorates.
The Valley of Despair is the transition period during which the emotional aspects of change, the feeling of the end of a familiar period, and the associated uncertainties have to be managed.
You cannot avoid it, you should not neglect it: you must live with it! Keep the objective, reassure the people, communicate.
Tacking into the Wind
When sailing and tacking into the wind, the course taken is always much longer than the shortest.
During the course of a project, you have to take into account the conditions changes. The target remains the same, but the path differs.
Differentiate the objective and the means; explain it to the people you work with.
