Don't Have a Fully Baked Plan? Get Started Anyway.

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You Don’t Need a Map to Turn the Ignition Key

If perfect is the enemy of done, a fully fleshed-out plan is kryptonite to just getting started. Words by Leah Melby Clinton

I had a boss who liked the phrase. 

“We’re building the plane while it’s flying.” 

Originally, when I first heard it, the words conjured up a last-minute scramble and not being totally prepared, albeit in a genial, let’s-all-pitch-in way. It was said with love and support; less anger or frustration and more a “can you believe this? I know!” vibe. 

Even still, there seemed to be no doubting it was a negative. That in a perfect world, the plane would have been fully built before we stepped aboard and cranked it into climb mode. The assumption made total sense to me, especially in light of the context for that particular plane (half-abandoned plans, unrealistic deadlines, and shaky cross communication is never ideal—and always responsible for shakily built planes).

The phrase has come back into my lexicon as of late. I’ve said it out loud to people and thought it in my head as I work on figuring out a new project. “I’m building the plane while I’m flying it!” I stopped myself for a moment, wondering if it was a burst of negative self-talk I shouldn’t allow to enter the world or, more worryingly, if it sent the wrong message to the people I’m working with.

She doesn’t even know how the plane is coming together??