What nobody else has thought
“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.” –Nobel Prize winning physiologist, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Meet Melissa. She’s a details oriented manager and is very good at her job. And she just happens to hold the pen on whether your creative project with your client (or within your organization) moves ahead.
Your head is already filled with all kinds of great new ways to tackle that nagging problem that they have been struggling with. So you’re excited to get started.
After all, making things is what you are good at.
That’s specifically what you’re paid to do, right?
Not so fast.
Melissa may value creativity, but what she really is counting on are good ideas that mitigate risk.
For the most part, people need to be convinced that an idea is a good one. That’s why you first need to present a well thought-out plan: one where you state your assumptions, clearly identify the problem that you are going to solve, and then explain how your recommended approach will solve that problem.
Sometimes people will try and persuade you that this step isn’t necessary, or that it’s a needless expense.
Don’t make that mistake.
When it comes to the business of being creative, research is always necessary.
It protects both you and your client (or your boss), because it shows that you’ve taken time to organize your thoughts into some kind of coherent action plan.
It demonstrates a solid foundation on which you are giving advice. It gives your client (or your boss) the tools they need to sell your advice through their approvals process.
Just as important, the outcome of research–recommendations and advice–shows where you and everyone who is directly involved in your creative project have come to an agreement on how you are–and are not–going to solve a problem together.
Something remarkable happens each time when you conduct research and write down your findings. Your thinking shifts a little bit (sometimes more than a little bit). That’s because you’ve gained a unique and deeper understanding that just wasn’t there before about the problem you have been hired to solve.
Writing is thinking, made organized against its will. It assigns ownership to ideas.
Don’t just leave it to others to be sold on your approach. They have other things going on at work to worry about. That’s probably why they hired you.
So remind them of why they made a great choice by bringing you on board. Do the research. Write it all down.
Very best, Patrick
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