TCFBO #007: If Only...

Read Time: 2 minutes

A big drain on the resources of a business is working on a project that fails. Either the project doesn’t deliver the intended results or it gets abandoned before it has a chance to deliver.

This can be extremely demoralising for those who put their time and energy into the project and they may feel like a failure too, simply because they played a role in the doomed project.

Unfortunately, a standard response is to just start another project to try and create the results the original project was supposed to deliver.

There’s nothing wrong with starting a new project if you take the time to understand why the first project failed so you can avoid repeating those mistakes.

However, you and your team have at your disposal a powerful tool that, if used correctly, will significantly increase the likelihood of your project’s success before you commit valuable resources to it.

That tool is your imagination.

So, take a moment now to think about a project you would love to deliver in your business by this time next year. 

Got something in mind? Great!

Now imagine it’s this time next year and the project failed to deliver what you wanted. Bring to life how it feels knowing the project failed.

Whilst you’re in that space in your imagination, say to yourself:

“We failed. If only we had…”

...and then quickly write out a list of all the things that pop into your head.

Avoid stopping to think about how you’d solve the thing that caused you to fail.

Avoid judging what you are writing down.

Avoid editing what you write down.

Just capture your thoughts as much as you possibly can in 5-10 minutes.

Once you’ve done that, imagine it’s this time next year and the project delivered the results you wanted. Really bring it to life in your mind and notice how good it feels knowing the project succeeded in delivering.

Whilst you’re in that space in your imagination, say to yourself:

“We succeeded because…”

...and then quickly write out a list all the things that pop into your head.

Again, avoid judging or editing. Just capture your thoughts.

Some people are so afraid of failure that they don’t even want to imagine the possibility of the project (or them) failing. This often leads to failure due to a complete lack of awareness of the things that are likely to stop them from succeeding.

By doing this exercise you will give your subconscious mind the opportunity to highlight the things that are likely to doom your project to failure and those that are likely to make it a success.

If you are prepared to imagine failure before it occurs, not only can you take steps to avoid failing ahead of time, you will also find it easier to recognise the causes of failure as they occur during the project so you can deal with them quickly.

Likewise, if you take the time to imagine succeeding you will recognise whether the things you imagined leading to your success are actually present during the project. And if they aren’t you can refocus your attention back on them.

If you have a team, carry out this exercise with them before you start the project. Doing so will add an invaluable perspective and 10-20 minutes spent in your imagination before starting a project is far more cost effective than spending a year on a project that never delivers.

Let us know how you get on and we’ll see you next week.

Paul & Philly

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