Rather than taking what’s in front of you and iterating on it, consider taking the time to figure out what’s ideal, and then work backwards.

Often times, when I walk people through this process, they either get very defensive (you can’t do that) or very confused (it doesn’t work that way) or very bemused (*smile* you’re so funny and nieve).

The reality is, however, it does indeed work that way.

There are many times when pragmatic iteration is important and necessary.

There are times (particularly when you’re creating a new market or trying to change the way the world works in some way) that the normal iterative process is slow or ineffective.

Take the time to clearly imagine the end state. What would it look like if everything worked the way it was supposed to? What systems, processes and patterns would be in place? What would the user experience look like? What deals and business models would make that possible?

Note: this does not mean that you keep your head in the clouds. Once you’ve imagined the ideal future you must quickly connect the dots backwards and start executing a series of pragmatic (but bold and well aligned) steps towards your eventual, ideal, goal.

You must live in two worlds. The ideal future tempered by an extremely focused and pragmatic present.