But are the foundations solid?

As someone who designs collaborative sessions for a living – my primary way of approaching a problem is to think about a way for people to interact with it. 

I like to think about the mechanics of the situation,  its fundamental components and the various ways in which those two things might be combined. 

I often abstract the problem to a degree, taking it out of the concrete world into an abstract domain to play around with it. It’s a way of simplifying and working without all the real world constraints. It’s hard for people to find novel solutions to problems without some kind of reframing as our biases and prejudices get in the way. They  shape our thinking more than we’d like to admit. 

But all of this is for naught if we’ve not managed to get all our concepts nailed down. If the theoretical foundations of our exercise aren’t sound, then the exercise won’t hold water. 

I tend to jump to this part of the solution, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s the part of the solution that I know how to do best. I’m like the man searching for his keys under a street light. Not because that’s where he lost them, but because that’s where the light is. 

This is why I love two things. 

1. checklists. Some people hate them, but if we still need checklists in hospitals to remind doctors to wash their hands, then they can help us mere mortals as well. 
2. Diverse teams. A team full of people like me would be a chaotic mess. We all need diversity around us to balance out our biases and idiosyncrasies. Diversity gives us a more holistic view of the situation and a better chance of solving complex questions. 

This is also why I love working with people like Imran Askem & Kaijia Gu. We’re similar enough to that we share common vision and values, but we’re different enough that we can cover a good swathe of each other’s blind spots. 

For me, the blind spot is the foundations and so occasionally I need a nudge (or a kick) to come back and make sure they’re correct. 

If you don’t have someone to cover your blind spots, then get one asap. If you don’t know what your blind spots are, then ask someone you a) respect, but b) often disagree with, they will be only too happy to enlighten you. 

They may also end up being a good partner going forward. 

And make a checklist. If it’s important, a checklist is always worthwhile.