One of the things that I struggle with both professionally and in my doctoral studies is being in conversations with people who lack the skills needed or experience needed to see the vision and help craft the way. The red flag for me is someone who asks for your need, fails to respond to queues about possible enhancements, and delivers exactly what was originally outlined in the need.
Sometimes when I see the end goal or the vision, I cannot always see the intermediate steps or possible enhancements that could make the vision better. It is like seeing that tall building when you are in a city but not knowing exactly how to reach it. I like to work with people who have the skills and experience around a subject, product, service, or process so they can fill in the gaps and help map out the solution.
My last conversation with my mentor was one of the those golden conversation with someone that has vision. She was able to see the end and help me with the steps needed to get there. At the end of the conversation, I had a way and enhancements to make it better (along with some homework to do). Consequently, I am on my way to the proposal and ARB/IRB submission. Tremendous value!
Conversely, I’ve been working on some service offerings outside the classroom and find that the group I am working with do not have the “vision”. The service is being hosted in some powerful and commonplace software for business knowledge management. However, most of the people that hold the keys are figuring out the software as they go and lack the experience or skills needed to really “get it”. They are well intentioned but just underdeveloped in regards to the software. Consequently, the products that come out look pieced together and rough. Tremendous opportunity cost!
Creative problem solving aside, sometimes we just don’t know what we don’t know and that has a cost associated with it.
There seems to be a value when we get people involved that actually possess the skills and experience necessary to bring a vision to life in a way that the original visionary might not have realized possible. At work this is a project that takes off and delivers outstanding results. In school this is getting over the hump or building an amazing project on something really cool.
I find it easier, more productive, and more valuable to vision with people who have vision and skills enough to help. It might have a direct cost associated with it but the indirect value far outweighs those costs.
Image source: rogiro
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June 16th, 2009 at 8:41 PM
This is what I have come to realize about this topic.
This is the hardest part when it comes to creative process. This is where you have to realize you will not have 100% control of the final project. The first draft is the only thing you completely owned. That is until you start looking for feedback and input. You need to have a firm grasp of your idea and at the same time that grasp cannot become a crushing grip. Control issues stall the idea quicker than anything else.
This next part is what I call the “papers on the wall”. People like to look at all of their awards and certificates they have hanging on their wall. They look at what ones are hanging on the walls of other people. And they make comparisons. If the two walls do not match then they have a tendency to feel that those people cannot have any valid input. Experience and education are two completely different things but at the same time can hold equal value. However, it may be hard to see that value. The use of the word “expert” is thrown around way too much these days. The truth is there are no absolute “experts” but there are “knowledgeable” people. Just remember if so called experts were always infallible then we would not have any need for insurance and lawyers in this world.
Feedback and acknowledgment are critical but both of them are hard to come by. I have learned that any feedback that is just two words and emoticon really are useless for the most part. It also shows they are really disinterested in what you are attempting to do. We want what we create to make people engage the idea. The other thing is to be weary of is people who give a lot of feedback. I have found they are trying to take over your idea and make it their own. They are also the ones who when it comes to actually implementing the idea will be nowhere to be found. There will be a time when you get no more if any feedback. When you no longer get any information then it is time to make a decision. It is the moment to have a “gut check” and move on. If anyone starts giving you feedback then, you just have to ignore them because they are just road blocking you.
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