Getting Unstuck - Ayelet Baron

Do You Get in Your Own Way?Blow up the WallsWe build too many walls that stop us from ge^ng to the edges. We put up unnecessary boundaries that get in our way because we are stuck. We don't blow up things that are not working. We are stuck for a reason. We want the new job but we don't promote ourselves to the people who could help us. We get in our own way over and over. Most people like to follow. They want to be picked and read what the gurus read. They wait for the list to come out to know where to eat, travel and what is cool to buy. Does it always have to be trendy and pre-­‐approved to be any good for us?I was at a Cornell alumni event recently (as a guest) and was talking to a start-­‐up guy whose company just got $50M in series B funding. He was sharing the challenges of ge^ng qualified developers and how they are impor;ng them from the east coast. He also disclosed that they don’t want too much media coverage right now as their mobile applica;on is unstable. It made me really want to run out and try it! Not. And so I asked him about their Human Resource func;on. He looked at me blankly and said: “we’re a start-­‐up. We outsource it.” And yes, there have been thousands of ar;cles lately about how start-­‐ups should focus on their core and outsource the rest. But when finding the right talent to drive your business model is a cri;cal issue, why would hand it over to someone else? Why would you get in your own way?The response of “everyone else does it” or "this is how we've always done it" is not a strategy. I am not saying you need to create a large bureaucra;c process. But to move quickly, make sure you are enabling your strategy by plugging your key holes and finding the smartest people out there who can help you. And there are plenty out there who are not looking for the next "job" but would be happy with doing a project with you.I am weary of the status quo of how we need to be. I am imagining new and beNer ways to move forward. We have the opportunity today to pursue new ways of working and living by experimen;ng. The status quo will call it innova;on and put it in the middle of a process that people need to follow. Innova;on comes when people can think freely and create – it requires a culture of the unexpected and unapproved. What, if anything, is ge^ng in your way?Photo: Megan Murray"We build too many walls and notenough bridges."— Isaac NewtonGetting Unstuck36