First get it done. Then get it right.

A few years ago a friend introduced me to Words With Friends. I hadn't played Scrabble since I was a child and don't recall having been that good at it. So in the beginning it was enough just to be able to make a word! I was so proud of myself.

But as much as I love getting things done, I also love doing them to the best of my ability - and my friend was kicking my butt every time! So I did something I never do...I asked for help...from her. She explained that it wasn't just about finding a word, it was about strategy...save your "s", look for double and triple word points and if you can't use them, block your opponent, etc. Then I started winning.

Before a change we get it right. We're in a state of either conscious competence (knowing why what we do is right) or unconscious competence (doing the right things but not really knowing why the work). Sometimes we're so good at what we do that how we do it gets buried deep in our brains.

When change happens we have to dig deep to articulate how we're doing it now and create our "as-is" processes. Then we have to learn a new skill and develop "to-be" processes. We have to ask for help. It's mentally taxing and makes us appear totally incompetent.

Yet it's how we grow. A year after the change we'll be anchoring the new processes into our brains. After two years we're back to competence. By the third year things will probably change again and we'll start all over.

So in the beginning, be happy with just being able to make a word. Then focus on getting it right.