I build planes as they go down the runway.
Wait. What?
Yeah, I tend to start projects without having all the pieces in place. It’s like going surfing without knowing how to swim (yes, that was me). Or like starting to put ingredients in the pan when you haven’t diced some things yet (it works if you can dice quickly). Or like going to business school when you don’t have a typical business background (where’s that emoji where it looks like it’s laughing so hard it’s crying, but perhaps they’re just real tears?).
But here’s the crazy thing: sometimes it actually works. And the results are unlike anything anyone has ever planned for.
Why?
Well, I like solving problems and I’ve noticed the journey to solving big problems is never straightforward. Instead, it curves sharply, has a propensity to go from a 6-lane highway to a footpath on the edge of a cliff suddenly, and sometimes requires a flamethrower to be retrofitted at the last moment. I think the uncertainty is fun.
“I’ve found from past experiences that the tighter you plan, the more likely you are to run into something unpredictable.”
How?
“I try to create an environment where people feel comfortable complaining, and they do, a lot.”
It starts with building strong teams. They don’t have to be experts, just curious thinkers from diverse backgrounds who can examine topics from their unique perspective and see around corners others didn’t even know were there, thinkers who are empowered to become doers.
It continues with an emphasis on flexibility, comfort with ambiguity, resilience in the face of setbacks (and the occasional outright failure), and the understanding that everything is a learning opportunity.
For what purpose?
Because I truly believe there isn’t a problem in existence without a solution. If it hasn’t been solved yet, it just means not enough effort in the correct combination has been applied. And it is to those seemingly intractable problems I am most drawn.
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat”