Think Big, Start Small, Move Fast!

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu has a famous quote “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Most outcomes seeking to achieve sustainable and tangible results, begins with a single positive action. More significantly, we must always hold on with our compass of faith keeping to that trajectory of critical persistence and aspirations - to face our challenges. 

To me, this transformative and extraordinarily mindset shift was best described by Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam interview at the 45th St. Gallen Symposium with his opening remarks on Singapore's stella social economic growth from 3rd world status to 1st world in 50 years.

"We took advantage of disadvantage, we converted permanent disadvantage into continuing advantage. That’s a very fundamental attitude of mind."

To me, this message implies:

• Think Big: Acknowledging the long term disruptive transformative trends. If you are not paying, you're not the customer - you're the product being sold!
  
  This starts with identifying the key problem at heart with several solutions in mind.  Be realistic about what options are actionable and measurable to move forward. This implicitly sets a framework where practical creativity is unleashed to get motivated, be inspired - make it happen in overcoming your limits and broadening your expectations.
• Start Small: Target these solutions carefully and learn to appreciate the unknown. Ultimately, your product and solution offerings - simply have to be fundamentally different from existing tried and tested options. They have to resonate powerfully and emotionally to your target segment needs. Listen to your client's feedback - Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
• Move Fast: While establishing positive collaboration with the ability to connect-the-dots effectively and efficiently is one of the critical ingredients to gain aggressive momentum to scale success stories and catalyze positive change. It is fundamentally important that one's state of mind is always to    Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, Believe in the Future!

Clearly, the destination of the thousand mile journey can be summarized elegantly:

"Have a bias toward action - let's see something happen now. You can break that big plan into small steps and take the first step right away." - Indira Ghandi

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