First Step is always 'Thinking'!

 

Whenever we are getting ready for any project or any assignment, what is the first step we take?

usual answer to this question is our first step is planning and prioritization. But, I am afraid that this is not a first step in any project, assignment or business task.

the first step is always 'Thinking'! Even before your consider planning, thinking starts. Your planning and prioritization is generally an output of your thinking. Better thinking can lead to better planning. 

Thinking may have various steps involved. And, very first step of thinking is to study the purpose of the project. Once there is clarity about the purpose, one starts thinking about the next steps like how to reach to the ultimate goal, what time will it take, what resources do we need, how soon do we need those resources, what should be the quantity, so far and so on...

Deliberate thinking around these questions make picture clear for the manager to plan and prioritize.

A common mistake many managers do is they completely ignore the first step or pay very less attention to it as a result they lead with poor planning and their projects yield poor results.

A wise leader should avoid this mistake. S/he should always remember that quality of output & quality of the process will largely depend on the quality of thinking behind it.

Give sufficient time for thinking before starting any project. run the thought  experiments, try to foresee, try to imagine possible outputs of the project, try to think about the possible barriers in the way, try to think about the possibilities of failures!!

This all rounded thinking approach will make you completely ready to go ahead with any project with high level of confidence.

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