I recently learned a word in Korean that I have taken to heart. It is ‘Palli Palli’. Loosely translated it means ‘hurry, hurry’ or ‘faster, faster’. For me, it’s about maintaining a sense of urgency, and not putting off for tomorrow the things you can do today… or now.
So many people seek out completeness before taking action. The issue is that most of the actions that we take in business have an expiry date, just like the food we eat. The longer an action remains a thought that is not implemented, the more its impact is likely to deteriorate.
I see this all the time. We strive for perfection – which is a worthy aspiration, but not always practical – and then when we finally deliver an action, we leave ourselves short on the time needed to execute.
For example, I speak at many events. Often the event organisers invest lots of energy and passion in creating the perfect agenda, and delay sending invites until it’s complete. By that time, the event is almost at hand, and they’ve lost the window to drive amazing attendance. So, what value is the perfect agenda if no one comes to hear it?
This is not to say that perfection and speed can’t co-exist. At IBM there are many things we do that are mission critical and must work perfectly, think airline reservation systems, online banking, or data privacy. But not everything that happens in business is mission critical.
Within the Agile Methodology – originally used for software development, but now being applied to any team-based work process – there is a focus on developing the minimum viable product, getting it into market and then iterating and refining as you go. This approach is fast being adopted by many companies today because it is incredibly efficient and effective at delivering results.
If I was to think about the three rules I live by around creating momentum and accelerating progress, they would be:
1. Don’t let perfection prevent progress – perfection can be attained along the way. If you wait for things to be perfect up front, then you’ll never start your journey.
2. Ask for forgiveness, not permission – if it’s your job to make decisions, then make decisions. Most will be right, some won’t. Remember, nothing happens when nothing happens.
3. Cultivate a momentum mindset – never allow yourself to be slowed by obstacles. Go around them. Fix them later. But at all costs, don’t let them slow you down.