Effectuation: Crazy-Quilt Principle

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

African Proverb

Master of TACT lives by that quote. In fact, it is largely on this principle the the company was founded. When I was finding personal joy in helping entrepreneurs reach self-determined goals and grow their companies, the most repeated feedback I received was how quickly I worked with my clients toward their goals. That only took me part of the way I wanted to go, and it became clear that I needed help from others – with more expertise, with more diverse experiences, with varying perspectives, with different knowledge – if I wanted to help more small-business owners experience triumphs. That’s when “I” became “we” and Master of TACT was born.

Today, we regularly evaluate new prospective talent to add to our growing pool of consultants. At Master of TACT, we have many names for the way we network with other professionals to help entrepreneurs and their businesses. We call it creative collaboration, strategic alliance, strategic partnership, joint decision making, synergized problem solving, and so on. The Society for Effectual Action calls it the Crazy-Quilt Principle, the committed partnerships that entrepreneurs form with others to manifest futures they envision together.

The two elements that make this work are that working together helps us achieve more and that mutual commitment precludes worries about competition and strategy. This may sound counterintuitive for us, given that we offer strategic planning and competitive analysis services. It’s not. During early stages of business formation, entrepreneurs utilize this and other principles, as we have, to make early gains in market share and customer loyalty. Competitive analysis and strategic planning have their time and place as a business matures and seeks growth. However, when launching a new idea, product, service, business, or growth initiative, the savviest entrepreneurs recognize the value of partnerships that create win-wins and allow others to join in the thrill of creating a shared vision of the future together.

Who’s in your crazy quilt? What partnerships have you formed? How have you teamed up with others to design and move toward a shared future? Where are you going and whom have you invited to join you to get there? We want to hear from you about this. We specialize in connecting entrepreneurs and other professionals for exactly this reason and purpose. Share in comments below or via our Contact page how you’ve applied – or will apply – this principle to go farther than you might on your own.