Life hacks that will inspire a growth spurt

Recommendations from Iryna Mushtina, founder and CEO of CF.Digital, speaker at UADGTLS 2017

Enthusiasm!

It’s been built up over years of practice, experience, and mistakes. Today, I know for sure: without enthusiasm, even if a project is executed according to perfectly established processes and procedures, it’s impossible to achieve a truly great result.
A good one — yes! But an excellent one — no!

That’s why now we only take on projects we genuinely believe in. And once we do, we stay committed to it until the very end. That energy and desire for perfectionism spreads to the whole team. It’s followed by engagement, an acute attention to detail, and total focus on the result.

Enthusiasm is fuel.
Without it, even a supercar won’t go anywhere — unless someone gives it a push. And even then, not very far.

100 = 85!

I came across this simple but incredibly useful piece of data just this past summer — and I’ve been trying to keep it in mind ever since.
It goes like this: even when you're 100% sure you’re right, in 15% of cases, you're wrong.

This is backed by numerous studies and testing. And accepting it as a principle or a personal rule is not as easy as it sounds.
For example, I followed the lead of Jay Chiat, the CEO of U.S. advertising agency Chiat/Day — he always kept a note in his pocket that said, “Maybe he’s right.”
I keep a reminder in my phone: “100 = 85”!

TikTizi – Take It Easy

This three-word lifehack is more powerful than it looks.
Make decisions more easily. Change strategies more easily if they’re not delivering the expected results. Let go of projects and people who are dragging you down — easily. Part with money — easily and quickly.

To make things even simpler, break down big projects into small tasks, and assign each process a clear purpose and timeframe.

For example, if you’re going to a first meeting with a potential client, don’t set a global goal like “Get the project.”
Instead, aim for small, measurable steps like:
– “Learn about the client’s past experience with similar projects”
– “Share specific results from one of our own projects”
– “Identify the best negotiation strategy moving forward”
– “Figure out who the decision-maker is and what kind of person they are — does he like dogs or cats?”

Eat the elephant one bite at a time!

There’s no such thing as permanent growth

Once you’ve gained momentum, it’s worth pausing growth, but not development. Redirect your efforts toward increasing efficiency, improving internal processes, automating workflows, and eliminating unnecessary actions.

This applies to communication — both with clients and within the team — as well as documentation, refining the ideal structure and timing of project management, and exploring new technologies.

Once you’ve “built up some muscle,” you’ll be ready for the next leap forward.

Published on Sostav.ua