The Mad Hatter

Early in your Management Trainee days, you learn about the trifecta of work hats - Thinking, Planning & Doing & it is only with time, you cultivate the skill to seamlessly transition from one to another with evolving project realities, timelines & stakeholder expectations.You learn that while a water-tight compartmentalization of the three is ideal, it rarely occurs.However while fungibility is desirable , absolute non-linearity can cause more chaos than control.

So here's what I have seen work.When it comes to one's thought process, it is best to go with a purist approach.Use the big plate, really think blue sky where everything is possible, let no time,budget or resources constrain your possibilities.Get excited by what you could elevate & transform, imagine the flight of fantasy that led George Lucas to create Star Wars or JRR Tolkien to create the Middle Earth & let James Cameron envision Pandora. After your mind is full & brimming with ideas, just plot them in a 2*2 of effort & impact & see what needs phasing or doing at all.

The next stage of Planning is wonderful because it is here you co-create with your critical stakeholders; you pick their mind to both broaden & deepen your thinking & dovetail their valued inputs into your plan.Design Thinking Champions - this is your game! Having the humility to learn from others is awesome because all of us together know more & better than the brightest of us. It is here you take people with you & as you know, everyone needs to board your ship before it can sail. What's worth remembering is that the ability to challenge & accept challenges well is the mark of a true leader.

Well begun is half done is not just an adage, it is a way of work.Activation Energy is real & by the time you reach Doing, your vision is set & aligned, the scope & budgets of the projects are frozen, your team & vendors are fully immersed in their pieces & are raring to drive closures. You encounter newer possibilities & newer roadblocks but the flywheel is already in motion, it encompasses or rejects ideas in a fast & decisive way. Truth be told, any emotional resilience or professional fortitude I have, has been built with last minute changes occurring at this stage.

Finally, the proof of the pudding is in the eating & the beta/pilot tests that follow provide solid proof of concept. You rapidly ramp up / transform, once the rubber hits the road. As the euphoria of your successful launch settles down, the first evaluation milestone looms over the horizon & you eagerly look forward to what interesting intelligence, analytics may bring.Its an exciting journey from start to finish, the value of which far transcends just this performance year's goals. However,it is essential to mainly wear one hat at a time, that's all a head can hold.