History repeating

Not all ideas are new. Sometimes they’ve been tried before, half built, put in the too-hard basket. Maybe pulled out, and put back in again.

If you haven’t been exposed to that history, it’s not a great feeling to find out partway into a project.

Even worse is when previous failed efforts are deliberately not shared in an attempt to not influence the thinking this time around.

To make the same mistakes or missteps again is a waste of time, energy and resources. So before getting started, start with “has this been tried before?”

If yes:

“Why did it fail?”
“Where did it land?”

And most importantly:

“What will be different this time?”
“Why will it be different?”

When you dig into past attempts, the failure usually comes back to the same few things:

• Legitimacy: Was the problem real?
• Investment: Was there genuine commitment?
• Force: Were the right people involved?
• Trajectory: Was there a clear path forward?

If these things haven't changed, there’s every chance the outcome won’t either.

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