Are You a Gardener or an Architect?

There are two types of people in this world, architects and gardeners.

The architects have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before the concrete even hits the ground, and the gardeners dig a hole, plant the seed, water and nurture the little bad boy never really knowing what it's going to grow into.

There are people that work hard at building a good structure and people that are more likely to try stuff out and see what works.

It seems pretty straightforward, right? Either you plan things out in advance and then work to the plan, or you try stuff out and see what happens.

The thing is that doing something new means that it's never really that black or white. We have to learn to be comfortable with both ends of a spectrum, and accommodate both planning and being comfortable with the unknown. These require different skills, and it’s easiest in the short run to choose one or the other. But to truly succeed over the long run, you need to do both and become a gardening architect.

Figure out which approach you think best suits you as a person, a gardener or an architect, and then develop a strategy for getting the other skill into your life.

You don’t necessarily need to have both skills yourself, which means you really need to be careful and think about how you build a loyal tribe around you. It’s easiest to collaborate with people that are most like us so gardeners will be drawn to work with other gardeners, and the same for architects, but don't get caught in this trap.

The key to innovation and success is to have diversity in your team. If you’re an architect, find a gardener and if you're a gardener find an architect. You need to find ways to integrate conflicting ideas so you can wigwam think the shit out of it together so you can smash the fuck out of your end goal.

This is the key to success in your life and success in your business so you can leave a massive impact on the planet when you die.

Shit's called legacy and reputation bitches.