Prolific Outweighs Perfection

As a leader, prolific outweighs perfection. Prolific means to produce much fruit; plentiful. While, perfection is the state of being free from flaws. The process of being prolific allows us hone our prowess, develop complimentary skills, own our originality, and establish thought leadership. But, if we’re constantly pursuing perfection, how can we be prolific? This is challenging for those of us who maintain a high bar. We can be our own worst critic.

But to be a prolific leader, one must be a prolific thinker. Here is where we embody divergent thinking - we ask why not?, we think in webs - seeing the connections between ideas, we see barriers as design opportunities, and we expand outwards. Going to market is part of that process - not only do divergent thinkers have the ability to generate a high volume of output, it is a healthy part of the workflow, as feedback allows us to iterate and strengthen our discernment in knowing what’s “good”. We can maintain our high bar, but once we hit it, release it, so we can learn from it.

Professor Robert Sutton said “Original thinkers will come up with ideas that are strange mutations, dead ends and utter failures. The cost is worthwhile because they also generate a larger pool of ideas – especially novel ideas.”

Words from professor Robert Sutton.

As a prolific leader, lead by example - make your work visible to your team, share your methodologies, invite them to poke holes in it. Aim to publish a piece of work weekly or bi-weekly, see how much of it is adopted and what your learn from the feedback. They’ll likely be impressed by your body of work and will grow comfortable with the vulnerability that comes with publishing.

But also be the missing piece in their process - when they lean in, help them expand outwards; when they release work, acknowledge their efforts and be their healthy review board; when they amass a body of work, help them unearth the novelty within it. Show them that prolific outweighs perfection. You might just create a radically prolific culture.