Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. A lesson that has been consistently reinforced in my recent professional life.

When embarking on a new project for which we have a vision of the end result, use that image as a guide to correct for the big picture along the way but don’t fixate on it.

Build a minimum viable prototype.

Share regularly with others – the feedback we receive can lead to crucial pivots.

Be open and adapt to changes that are aligned with the overall purpose. It is okay to take a few wrong detours, they will be good teaching moments for the future.

It is never about this one project but the learning that will feed into all our future ventures. The journey is more important than the destination.

Incremental growth is how we get from good to great. It is not achieved in a single shot.

When I was young, my mom told me to look at my watch without any distraction for 60 seconds as the minute hand completed one full cycle. That was the day I learnt to appreciate the value of time.

Looking back, I can see there was another teaching moment there. To appreciate any intangible aspect of life, we often think we need to do more of it. Instead what’s needed is to slow down and single it out from other distractions. That is how we can grow to comprehend its worth.

When we truly understand its value, we will use it better instead of more.

No man ever steps in the same river twice for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man

– Heraclitus

We can succeed where we didn’t before.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

Fear distorts perspective and robs us of clarity, without which we cannot be good decision makers.

Setting aside our fears will free us to use all our tools – sensibility, facts, advice, experience, instinct – in order to take action with a clear and calm mind. Even if the decision proves to be wrong, we will have the mettle to accept and recover from it. On the other hand, when we choose because of fear, it will keep us from reaping the benefits even if the choice was right.

Fear and clarity can never travel together.

Shaming women who lose weight when we are advocating against body image.

Shaming home makers when advocating for women in the workplace.

Being inclusive of one group can never come at the cost of shaming another. We cannot create true understanding of what “inclusion” and “acceptance” mean until we demonstrate by example what embracing and love look like.

Inclusion has to leave room for a broader meaning in the future. “We embrace you” is inclusion. “We embrace only you” is just yet another divide – bigger and looming in the morrow.

This is a good thumb rule for an inclusive mission statement or principle. It will be able to evolve to accept more tomorrow. If it needs to be broken, then it was never right in the first place.

Recently came across this ALearningADay post containing notes from an interview with Dan Ariely. The following points particularly resonated.

• A behavior that is hard to get over is to develop the courage to express your true opinion in a world that values political correctness. How can we as leaders encourage people who will disagree with us?
• Experiments teach us humility.
• Failing in a magnificent way means you tried, failed and learnt.
• Ethics are expensive. I think a lot about my own conflicts of interest. There is no easy answer.
• We are privileged to live long. Think of life as an opportunity for continuous learning.

A common theme here is continually questioning our own actions, principles and assumptions. As long as we do that, we will never cease to learn and grow.

Every disagreement is an opportunity to gain a new perspective. All it requires is an open mind.

Invite it.

I thought that this might happen…

Why didn’t you plan for this variable?…

I told you so…

These are common phrases used retrospectively after an unexpected event occurred or something went sideways despite planning.

This is easy to say. After all, hindsight is 20-20.

But what do we achieve by it?

Nothing except self-absolution from responsibility and blaming ourselves or another person for things that we often have no sway over. This is just retrospective talk, not retroactive.

What’s more useful is forgiving ourselves. Accepting that some things are out of our control. Embracing the opportunity to gain new knowledge. If we keep sight of the end goal and continue adapting to the circumstances, we can still emerge better for the situation.

Blaming for mistakes based on hindsight bias will keep us from learning from them.

Forgive first-time errors so we can avoid second-time repeats.