DAY 3
REALISM IN CONTRAST TO A VISIONARY By Gisele Nelson Execution Specialist at Plywood People. @giselenelson
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re you the executor of a visionary’s ideas? If so, I can completely relate to your position.
As an executor, I know about myself that in the start up process I have to turn off the to-do list making mechanism in my brain and concentrate really hard on dreaming about the idea. I have to consciously shut down the little trigger in my brain that instantly shoots out the time and work involved in making something happen. I have to open myself up to the possibility of dreaming for a few hours and run with the creative process. It’s painstaking. It’s exciting. It mostly makes my brain hurt. I kill myself trying to work out the details before we have even landed on an idea. I have to fight my tendency towards anxiety as I wonder how our team can accomplish the monstrously huge task list. I have to remind myself that “no” is a curse word in these scenarios. For visionaries this is the most fun and exciting part of the process. They get to create something that’s rarely been executed before, and you can physically watch the life pouring into them. Their brain is about to explode with the possibilities. The bigger ideas they dream up, the more the color drains from the executor’s face.
For the executor, in these brainstorming sessions, take a deep breath and dig in. One of my favorite things I’ve been privileged to learn in working with a visionary is how to dream. The visionary doesn’t have to work at this at all, but the executor has to be trained to enjoy the process of creating. There’s no easy way to overcome the anxiety of starting something new other than getting to work. After the brainstorming is finished, it’s time to dig into making it happen. This is why the executor has had such anxiety. It’s usually a mountain of work initially. At this junction in the process, there’s something extremely critical to remember; We’re not being asked to solve all the world’s problems all at the same time. We’re not even being asked to solve all the complexities of one specific problem. What we’re doing is plowing ahead one task at a time, building a mosaic of pieces that will make a difference a little bit at a time. One. Piece. At. A. Time. There are a few important keys to problem solving that when I’m approaching a problem, I tackle head on in order to accomplish the goals. If you’re an executor working with a visionary, I think it’s important to keep these things in mind, so you can accomplish the goals.
Solving Problems
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