by Nick Jacobs

"The feasibility study would probably not result in the quantitative answers necessary to achieve the goal . . . but then no feasibility study ever has for me."

That is what I said about our most recent project, and every project, personal or business, with which I have been involved during the past 30 years.

Feasibility studies and business plans are works of logic. They are carefully weighted business analysis tools that are typically void of passion, imagination, intuition, drive and EGO.

So, when you need the project to fly only because it is viable from a business prospective, it will be conservative. It will be cautious. It will be smaller, and, for the most part, it will be modestly successful. To quote Tom Peters, "one mediocre success after another. Incrementalism ad nauseam, JAMS, Just Another Mediocre Success."

When it comes to Big Hairy Audacious Goals, when it is far reaching, when it is a total stretch, and when that stretch is compounded with passion, ego, determination, or a desire to save mankind, then the feasibility study becomes MOOT, or, in our case, unessential.

That is MY BELIEF. People want to be associated with winners. People love imagination, passion, personality, and dreams. People love to be excited by excitement. It is the leader's job to provide the vision and to inspire the stakeholders with our passion. It is our job to attract them to become part of a memorable goal that is meaningful, sincere and intense.

Sometimes, it means getting out ahead of your headlights . . . which makes the trip even more interesting.

We will succeed because they will be touched by that spirit, moved by that vision and attracted by our sincerity . . . not because we did a feasibility study or have a business plan.

The bottom line? A quote from Donald Trump, "We all have instincts. The important thing is to know how to use them. You may have superb academic credentials, but if you don't use your instincts you might have a hard time getting to and staying at the top."

If you look at windbercare.com or wriwindber.org, you will see pages of projects that had no business plans, a thoughtful beginning and hopefully, no end. And a final quote and peak into my own personal belief system, "The goal must be for all the right reasons."