Written by Abbie Grey, Consultant
At Open Alderney, Ian and I share a Trello board where we have six ‘rules’ for our way of working. This sense-check allows us to be scrappy and pursue literally any mad, crazy, unconventional thought process or idea, knowing we have a framework to guide us. Something my years of corporate, start-up, and independent consulting have taught me, is this – no one likes to be seen to fail. So, we often find ourselves forcing a thought process or idea, and I have, on many occasions, seen years, time, energy and millions of dollars poured down the drain – and that’s not useful to anyone.
That’s partly why, in week one, we made a conscious agreement that we can ‘kill something’. It’s not a negative, in fact it’s the opposite. It gives us permission to explore freely without becoming attached to outcomes that aren’t right for us. Nothing is too big or too conceptual to test and discard. A few weeks ago, to nurture a wildcard idea, I found myself on the phone trying to source a warship, whilst nursing a Flat White in Guernsey airport. That’s the level of openness and scope we’re talking about. And I found one.
It’s always better to explore, learn, test, and then consciously withdraw resources when something isn’t working, rather than forcing it to succeed. Actually, that applies to almost everything in life.
Of those six rules, one is that for a project or initiative to be allowed on the board, it has to play to our skills and strengths. As Open Alderney is a duo, that becomes very useful. When it comes to creative housing initiatives, the playing field is relatively even, but when it’s dynamic cables or tidal investments, after a while you lose me. Thankfully, that’s Ian’s area.
And it works the other way too. When it comes to navigating long-term illness in a team, regulatory change within finance, or handling much-needed PR, that’s where I come in.
There’s no value in pretending to be experts in everything. The strength comes from knowing where each person creates the most leverage. As a consulting duo that works in tandem, it serves as a natural USP. When it operates effectively, two really is better than one. Especially when one day it’s Victorian Forts, or Telecommunications, and the other is Fashion Design.
One final rule I’ll share, is to be scrappy. And it’s something I’ll always recommend to my entrepreneurs and business owners, especially in the beginning. So be curious, test ideas, talk to people, learn in public, and adapt constantly. If you wait for perfection, you will be waiting for it all your life. Instead, enjoy the momentum, with the journey just as fulfilling as the destination.
With the right framework, you can actually create more freedom.
This is a cheeky insight into ours.