Finding the Trees and the Forest

Some ideas bury the Trees in the Forest. By this I mean the reason, the purpose for the idea, is lost in the details of how, versus why.

Whereas other ideas vaguely refer to an idea, a Forest if you will, but the reference is so obscure no one understands what it means or how to get there.

Typically you are overwhelmed with Trees by the “Keeners”, those who want to jump in and get building. All too often these projects go off the rails because they take on a life of their own, spinning in too many directions because it is forgotten, actually was never really understood, as to just why the idea should come into fruition in the first place. The Forest was never described.

On the other hand you have the quickstarts, lets call them “Chuckers”, who with the best of intentions throw ideas against a wall in machine gun fashion hoping something, somewhere along the way, sticks, and gets done. They feel the idea pitch is more than enough participation and others should empathetically know, and get, the Forest that they want to create. These projects usually never get started because no one actually knows just where to begin because they have no idea as to where they should end up.

Neither approach works.

The Trees Keener needs to slow down, back up, and talk more about the outcome. Describe the Forest.

The Forest Chucker,needs to spend more time describing what they want, what Trees will actually make up that Forest.

The person that has to take these “ideas” and make them work can often sound like a hypocrite, an unfathomable and rambling critic that swings from one viewpoint to another. To some they shout "too much detail, just tell me what you want in one paragraph or less", and to others they complain that they need "more detail, spend more time, tell me more about what you want and what it could look like". Both responses, albeit opposite and at times appearing to be schizophrenic, are valid and applicable if the work to bring the idea into creation is ever to be done.