How To Avoid A Common Confusion That Sinks Leaders And Stifles Startups
There are only two ways to create value in an enterprise: through new projects or excellent processes. Leaders must not only understand the difference but also know how to lead both activities. Confuse the two—or just misunderstand the differences between them—and you could create poisonous internal dissension, choke off innovation and destroy the ability to reliably serve customers.
A project aims to create something new—a product, a service, or a novel way of doing things. Not something merely incrementally better (as in the mantra of “continuous improvement”), but something genuinely never before seen. Projects are risky, often time consuming, costly, and, for the creative types attracted to them (and to startups generally), exhilarating.
