I still fall on my face sometimes and I can’t colour inside the lines, Cause I’m perfectly incomplete, I’m still working on my masterpiece.
– Jessie J (Masterpiece)
At every concert, Coldplay always, without exception, play their first big hit ‘Yellow’ in some form or another. At their sell out stadium events, Chris Martin acknowledges their beginnings and honours the song that helped get the band to where they are today.
It’s very easy to get obsessed about where you’re going, but looking back and recognising the progress made is also key if you want to inspire yourself and others.
A work in progress
Looking through eyes that have a healthy dose of trial and error, new ideas and motivation can be ignited. Remembering that we’re all a work in progress can help remove any expectations that may hinder us, and help illuminate new perspectives and unexpected opportunities.
In her book, ‘Rookie Smarts,’ Liz Wiseman talks about thinking back to when you had to do something tough for the first time. She asks how you approached it and explains that the greatest value of a rookie lies in the questions they ask. She claims best thinking is in this zone, as experience creates blind spots.
What’s your ‘Yellow’ factor, and do you honour it enough? How far have you come and how often do you let yourself reflect on it and even feel proud about it? If you’re leading a team, how often do you celebrate progress made? Could you acknowledge where you all began even more, and gain new insights by going back to the beginning?
In a rapidly changing world, experience can be a curse. Careers stall, innovation stops and strategies grow stale. Being new, naive and even clueless can be an asset. For today’s knowledge workers, constant learning is more valuable than mastery.
– Liz Wiseman