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from the I-should-be-getting-better-sometime-soon dept.
Anonymous Coward writes:
"In a timely way for those of us building a new community at Soylent News, the BBC has collected musings on the importance of failure. A few quotes:
'The quest for perfectionism is 'the enemy of achievement' and that the more we seek to get everything exactly right, the less we actually get done.' Heather Hainbury, Headmistress of Wimbledon High School.
'If the failure was our own fault we become more tolerant of human error, and if the failure was the result of external factors, of circumstance, an unkind coalition beyond our control, then we learn about the limits of willpower and self-determination. We see how our own agency interacts with context and fortune.' Ed Smith, Author and former professional cricketer.
'If your venture doesn't work out, but you did everything you could to make it a success, that's what we call an honest failure, and that's seen as an honourable thing... Whereas if your venture didn't work out because you spent too much time at networking events, you weren't doing your customer research, and you were just lazing around, then that's what we would call a dishonest failure.' Stewart McTavish, Director of IdeaSpace in Cambridge, a community and support network for entrepreneurs."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Barrabas on Tuesday March 04 2014, @05:35AM
I'm fond of Henry Grady Weaver [mises.org], which is why my long-term plan doesn't have a lot of detail. Mostly it's "here's what we should be doing next".
Too often planning, rules, and procedure, only serve to bog down the process and waste effort. My best example is the US government: so tied up in bureaucratic process that it can't complete a project of *any* stripe. (Including, but not limited to, a relatively simple web page for health insurance.)
I've got my vision, and I've got ideas on how to achieve that vision. If at any point we need something (better communication, a different command structure, operating procedures) we just do what seems best and improve it over time.
Others can chime in at any point with good ideas, different directions, and short-term predictions. As long as it puts us toward the vision, it's all good.
It's sort of like scrum, but applied to growth and management. It may seem undirected and even a little chaotic, but it's the most efficient way toward our goals.
(Score: 1) by gottabeme on Tuesday March 04 2014, @06:00AM
PDF isn't loading. Could you elaborate?