Working towards zero
We need to start from the right place. A level playing field. The conditions for success need to be right before we start.
If you’re part of a large organisation you could spend years working towards zero just to get started. You can put all your efforts into trying to fix your broken processes and technology.
What if this means you never get started?
Sometimes we need to choose not to fix things. To move on, or to start again. We need better organisations by design, but we can’t spend our lives working towards zero.
The trick is to design new things that allow you to then build a sustainable, well designed organisation.
We need to transform our existing organisations, but we also need to transform how we think about reinventing the future. I share some of Matt Edgar’s concerns. It’s important that we use the time and energy we invest in our professional lives to work on the right problems.
If you need a guiding principle then start with a people problem, not a platform or technology problem.
Whatever you’re working on, always be aware if it feels like you’re just aiming at zero.
Too many organisations spend their time working towards zero rather than working on new things. Start ups succeed because they do just that. They start up.
Make sure you start.
This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 18 years. You can follow all of my posts by subscribing to this RSS feed. You can also find me on Bluesky, less frequently now on X (formally Twitter), and on LinkedIn.