Just Start: Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future

I am fascinated with the creating processHere’s a new book that I believe makes a major contribution to describing the creating process.

Just Start: Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future
Leonard A. Schlesinger
(Author), Charles F. Kiefer (Author), Paul B. Brown (Contributor)

Today more and more of what we do involves navigating in unknown territory. Traditional planning processes that assume a predictable environment are ill suited  for what we encounter when trying something new or just living in this rapidly changing world. Based on studies and interviews with entrepreneurs, the authors conclude that the creActive process (their term) involves basically three steps.

“1. Desire. Find or think of something you want. …you don’t need a lot of passion; you only need sufficient desire to get started….

2. Take a smart step as quickly as you can. As you will see, a smart step has its own three-part logic as well.

  • Act quickly with the means at hand—i.e. what you know, who you know, and anything else that’s available.
  •  Stay within your acceptable loss. Make sure the cost of that smart step (in terms of time, money, reputation, and so on) is never more than you are willing to lose should things not work out.
  • Bring others along to acquire more resources; spread the risk, and confirm the quality of your idea.

3. Build on what you have learned from taking that step.”

( from Chapter One: What to Do When You Can’t Predict the Future)

If this feels familiar it may be because it is something we’ve all done. Understanding everything involved in the steps is still a challenge. You can order the book  by clicking here: Just Start: Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future