Case Study: A Data Hub for Affordable Housing, Part 5
“Are you letting perfect be the enemy of good?”
That question last week from a mentor brought me up short. I’m usually the one saying, “Come on, that’s close enough — can we just TRY something already?” or “We can keep iterating. Let’s get something out there.”
I’m also a perfectionist. What can I say, I contain multitudes. I’m an INTJ. (Marina Margaret Heiss: “Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority come into play.” Uh oh.)
I replied, half-joking, “So you’re saying I should lower my standards.”
She nodded emphathically. “YES, One hundred percent. Lower your standards. Get that MVP.”
She wasn’t just right about the business model I was wrestling with. She was also right about this blog.
It’s easy to let this commitment to the accelerator slide. I help run two organizations, I’m taking a class at night, I have a family, my vegetable garden is inexplicably going nuts (it’s NOVEMBER), and my brain is exploding with all the new things I’m learning each week. Cultural brokers!! Epics vs. Stories vs. Sprints!! Eisenhower Matrix!! Affinity diagrams!! Domains of Permanent Human Concern!! Pivot tables!!
I also have a love-hate relationship with being told what to do. Well, maybe it’s a little more one-sided than that.
But writing down our progress, hypotheses, and big questions not only engages the Ascending Reticular Activating System!! and reinforces learning. It also builds discipline, focus, and structure, and honors a commitment to be cohort.
This entry is not perfect by a long shot. It’s short. It doesn’t have deep content or footnotes. It’s definitely not going to be one of my go-tos when I’m asked for writing samples.
On the other hand, it’s a true story, it’s a quick read, and it’s done. For this week, I can settle for good.
And so: we iterate.
Jennifer Houlihan is managing director for Austin CityUP, a smart city consortium in Austin, Texas.
