More on Startegy

Seth Godin posted some interesting thoughts earlier this week in a post called 'Where to' might not be as important as 'how loud'.  Here's an excerpt:

In marketing (and thus, in life) it might be a lot more important to know, "How are you going to do the next thing?" or "How are you going to do your vacation?"

Direction is drilled into us. Picking the right direction is critical. If you don't know the right direction, sit tight until you figure it out.

The hyperactive have trouble with this advice. So they flit like a hummingbird, dashing this way and that, trying this tactic or that strategy until something works big, then they run with it.

What we're seeing, again and again, is that both of these strategies rarely work...

The alternative is to do your best to pick a direction (hopefully an unusual one, hopefully one you have resources to complete, hopefully one you can do authentically and hopefully one you enjoy) and then do it. Loudly. With patience and passion. (Loud doesn't mean boorish. Loud means proud and joyful and with confidence.)

This feels similar to what I said the other week about the benefits of startegy over strategy (and I'm happy to thinking anything remotely close to Seth).  What do you think?  Should I keep pursuing this startegy thing here at metacool?  Is it of interest?  Is it cool?  Please give me some feedback with a comment below or drop me an email.

Thanks.

 

Comments

[vincentchiaro]

I like it!

Getting started is often my problem too. And in school the same rule applied. I remember studying for calculus exams and often, once I got past the hurdle of starting...I could do the problem.

So to study I ended up categorizing problems into types and writing little recipes for myself. "To do this type of problem, start with..." Then on the exam I'd remember how to start and the rest was easy.

[lizsong]

At times, just starting something, versus being paralyzed until the perfect strategy gets developed, is the better way to go. I know that I've had the most success and movement when I felt free to just do it.

'Startegy' seems more process-based.
'Strategy' seems more outcome-based.

I often default to strategy, but want to move more in the direction of startegy - it is more fun, spontaneous, and adventurous! Plus, process-based decisions parallel life more accurately.

Liz

[Kevin Chiu]

I think you should you take your own startegy advice and run with it.

[A.Loomis]

John Maeda is being inaugurated at RISD tonight, and when I saw what RISD planned to do I had to share the link.

http://www.risd.edu/president/inauguration/

START HERE!