Get Started vs Get Right

In an increasingly connected world, putting one’s head above the parapet takes a certain level of commitment. There are, after all, plenty of people willing to take a shot at you, at your idea, at your professionalism or even at your dress sense. And with easy to use platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Posterous and so on, it has never been easier.

But it is precisely because of this connectedness that you must take the risk with your idea, your vision and even your “expertise”. We read the same blog posts, watch the same videos and discuss the same subjects on Twitter – in fact, these social networks have been developed with the express purpose of brining us together. They allow us to flock, to collaborate and to share. It’s no wonder that the SAME new idea appears on opposite sides of the world at the SAME time. After all, our ideas are promiscuous.

But there is always a tension. Should you get started with a new project or should you wait until you get it right? The direction you take depends almost entirely on how you view the concept of risk.

However, there’s another way. What if you start small? Of course, we have an almost pathological addiction to the “big launch” – to make a splash, send out press releases and sing and dance in the streets. But the big launch comes with big risk. Why don’t you try and get your idea down to the smallest, most granular level – and launch it at the end of the week?

Sure you may tread on some toes, but at least you’ll have achieved something.

* I’m sure you’ve gathered that I err on the side of getting started!