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Getting the Job Done vs. Changing People
We have a couple of options when we set out to create the work that matters to us.
We can aim to create a solid product that gets the job done, or we can aim higher and shoot to create something that changes the people who engage with it.
Neither is inherently better than the other, in fact, each may be better for different groups of people.
What’s important is knowing what we’re creating, who it’s for, and why from the start.
Work that gets the job done almost certainly has a larger potential audience for us to tap into. There is likely more competition, however, with little differentiating our product from our competitors and we risk the commoditization of our work.
Work that changes people requires us to narrow our focus down to a tiny, niche within a niche and creating something specifically for them. If we choose the right audience and create something that resonates, we may have created a monopoly for ourselves within that community.
If we mistarget our niche within a niche, however, we may create something that resonates with no one.
Creating something that gets the job done requires us to put on our engineering hat and figure out how to create something functional, utilitarian, maybe even robust. It requires…
