Run Silent Run Deep
Posted in Uncategorized on September 30th, 2007 by JackI’m stealing from the title of classic Burt Lancaster, Clark Gable movie, Run Silent Run Deep, because it (the title, not the movie) truly describes what I’ve been doing for the past month or so.
Specifically, I’ve not been writing because I’ve been having deep thoughts. Not Earth Shattering, Ground Breaking, News-at-11 thoughts. More like over-thinking the problem thoughts. I’ve been making this much harder than it should be, stressing about all the what-ifs and the hows: what if we need more people; how do we do …, what about …. Ultimately, I’ve hit analysis paralysis.
This is unusual for me, because I usually follow Colin Powell’s rules of leadership – #15, Part I: “Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired.” Part II: “Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut.”
In fact, I’m often guilty of complaining about others when they get in to analysis paralysis. So it is with some shock that I finally recognize it in myself. But like most problems, the first step is to recognize that you even have a problem. And now thatI have, I can solve it simply and easily. Stop thinking!
That’s actually not as dumb as it sounds. I’ve taken about 2 weeks off, and haven’t thought about my projects at all (I’ve actually picked up a contract, but more on that later). As a result, last night, and this morning, a bunch of stuff becamereally clear, and now I’m ready to get back on it and move forward with big steps.
And of course, I’m now in a writing mood again…