The Myth Of Perfect Sequencing
Time to read: 4 minutes
Hi Reader
I received a great comment on a LinkedIn post yesterday that really struck me:
"How do you make sense of a world where dream, design, development and delivery are not a sequence, but always in the mix?
"Common advice is 'build the plane while it’s flying' ...but this feels like chaos…"
It echoed a deeper challenge I hear from clients all the time. Because if you're creating work that matters, you've probably felt the same tension.
We’re taught a myth that meaningful work follows a neat sequence:
Dream → Design → Develop → Deliver
It's tidy. It's structured. It gives the appearance of control. Especially for those of us with strategic minds who want to do it properly.
But in work that emerges from purpose, not a preset path, those neat lines begin to blur.
The friction no one prepares you for
You've probably heard that "building the plane while flying it" analogy before. Maybe you've even tried applying it. But it's hardly comforting, is it? It doesn't feel organised or safe. Maybe it doesn't fit your definition of 'professional' either.
And yet, there's a truth in it that we need to acknowledge.
If you're like the ambitious, thoughtful people I work with, you might sometimes experience a kind of low-level resistance. A hesitation to move forward because the sequence doesn't feel complete. A sense that you're constructing as you go – or worse, making it up as you go along – and wondering if that's a failure of planning, skill or self-leadership.
This is the pause that emerges when you try to impose a linear model on a non-linear reality. And for someone who values depth and rigour, that pause can last far too long. It can even slip into procrastination.
Clarity emerges through movement
Most powerful work doesn't emerge from perfect plans. It emerges from a strong enough sense of purpose to begin, and the courage to keep adjusting as you go.
You're not failing because Dream, Design, Develop, and Deliver aren't happening in a neat sequence. You're building because they're alive together.
When these elements happen in parallel, you discover insights that no amount of planning could reveal. Your direction becomes clearer through contrast – seeing what doesn't work helps define what does.
It might feel chaotic at first. But often, it’s just what real creation looks like: unfolding in motion, not ticking off stages in order.
And, if it helps, we rarely had the luxury of perfect sequencing in all my years of delivering big, strategic projects and programmes. We did just enough planning to start, then moved forward with what we knew, adjusting and adapting along the way.
So why should our most meaningful work be any different?
So what do you hold onto instead?
Let go of the idea of a perfect plan that will unfold exactly as it's written. Instead, you need a steady aim – a destination that's 'just clear enough' to move towards with confidence.
That's why in the Ambition Accelerator, we focus on shaping your Impact Vision – not as a rigid plan, but as a core truth that guides you.
It gives you something to aim towards, even when everything else might feel like it's shifting. A direction strong enough to hold steady even when the path zigzags.
For my clients, this shift into iterative action often looks like:
- Having that important conversation before they feel fully ready.
- Sharing an early idea publicly as an exploration (not a polished plan).
- Testing a new direction or offer in live conversations instead of waiting until every detail is nailed down.
- Approaching a familiar situation with a different mindset even if it feels awkward at first.
Regardless of the specific action, each move shares the same spirit:
Start from clarity, learn through movement, and refine from truth.
Wrap up
We often talk about "building the plane while flying it" but that's not really it. It's more like picking a point on the horizon and navigating the landscape as it unfolds.
You have a direction. You have a reason to move. And the path reveals itself step by step. Not because you planned it all out in advance, but because you trusted yourself to start.
So ask yourself:
Where are you still waiting for perfect clarity, when movement could achieve more than planning ever could?
You don’t need a finished plan. You need a clear enough Impact Vision to move with confidence.
If you'd like me to send you a link to a recent workshop recording on exactly how to Define your Impact Vision, just reply and let me know.
Stay ambitious.
Rob
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Sparked Ambition Ltd | linkedin.com/in/robstubbs