You don’t *need* to execute.
But if you’ll have to, your clients have to go through the thinking work first. Make that a policy. Unless you want to only sell your hands work. Which is fine too. Just know you’ll be leaving money on the table. David C. Baker explains this in his book “The Business of Expertise”. (bolding mine) Strategy & Execution. The Business Of Expertise. David C. Baker. 2017 “I actually prefer to think of what I’m calling strategy here as research and insights.[…] So the first room on the left could…
Ideas without execution
They say they’re worthless. That without execution, ideas are pointless. That they’re just a thought. Actually… “Ideas are shit, execution is the game.” Gary Vaynerchuk And that’s why most indie consultants and creators do: Ideation Strategy Roadmapping Diagnostics Brains Work for free. Because of the (mis)belief that without doing the execution, they (the ideas, the person) don’t have value. That might be true IF the execution was tied to the thinking. Which is not how life and reality…
Blind
Choosing to go blind* into a meeting. Not fully prepared. Not over prepared. Maybe —just maybe— unprepared. As if you’re going blind. So you can better listen. So you can make better questions. So you don’t get assumptions. So you don’t get presumptuous. Just blind. To see the other side and understand your clients. So that they can see. This comes inspired from one conversation the great Chris Do had around his design agency, Blind, and why it was named that way.
If you’re not being productive, you’re losing money.
When thinking of productivity, the usual way to go is about quantity. How much of X you could produce. Or, as an indie consultant, a creator or expertise-based business, what you can do of something. However, productivity measures the relation between the maximum output and the smallest effort to do so. It’s not only about the quantity (or amount), but about the ratio. It takes in consideration efficiency AND efficacy. Being productive, on the other hand, focuses on what you can get done in a…
Creativity and Productivity
As creatives, entrepreneurs or soloists, there’s this mix up to believe that creativity and productivity are opposites. They’re not. Creativity. The ability to see opportunity. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Productivity. Ratio between the maximum output and the smallest effort. Peter Drucker. They’re different playgrounds, not ends of the same spectrum.
Don’t start with why
“Rod — Why haven’t you started referring your network to […..] yet?Hit reply and let me know. I want to hear from you.” While the intention of this message is well intended, having Why put me on defensive. It felt like i needed to justify myself. It felt my in-action had a judgement over it. And nothing was about me. It was about the one who sent the message. “I want to hear from you.” More importantly, my reaction came as WTF?! why would I need to give my reasons —if any at all? Have you…
The paradox of originality
Coming full range in what you do. To explore and apply a high level of imagination to a high level of knowledge. Originality. Here’s the paradox though The deeper you know something, the more used to how things are. Things are working, right? So why break them? Here’s why. Breaking off that thinking and finding new ways to apply your imagination can unlock greater originality in what you do and how you serve your market. David C. Baker calls this “being able to see the patterns”. Why? Because…
Beginners Mindset. Not.
“Approach things with a beginner’s mindset.” In an expertise/knowledge-based business, it’s the wrong frame. A beginner approaches things from scratch, trying to figure out the right questions. It takes them time to understand and comprehend things (quickly) because they’re trying to find patterns. A beginner explores with no clear picture in mind, Has no mastery. When you have expertise, it’s your responsibility to see and find patterns in an efficient way, meaning getting curious and asking…
Wishful thinking
Build a brand. Build a culture. Build leaders. Does this even make sense? As if by going thru a process, the result, no matter what, will be that: a brand, a culture or a leader. As you could manufacture any of those. It’s not like that at all. However… What you can do is build the systems to foster an environment where: Your customers build your brand. → Your brand is what they say it is (btw, there’s no such thing as “personal brand”). Your employees thrive to build a culture of trust. →…
Uncover your voice
You don’t get to “discover” your voice. It was always there, nothing to discover. Just like a baby. They have it there but can’t make sounds yet. They explore, see around, play to figure out how to make sounds. They listen. And again, they start playing and training their muscles. Inhale the right quantity of air to make their voice sound. Years laters, you explore. Module it. Train it again. Trust it? Sometimes. The world outside tells you to lower it, sound more like X, use certain words,…