How Do You Put Jigsaw Puzzles Together?

Have you ever made a jigsaw puzzle? I did many while growing up. There was often one “in process” on a card table set up in the den, waiting for anyone with 10 minutes or more to try their hand at putting all the pieces together!

My first puzzles were taken on by choosing a piece, any piece, and then looking for a fit to it from another piece. It wasn’t long before the realization hit that this approach could take forever!! And it might find the puzzle just going back into the box, never to be completed!

Think about this as it relates to taking on your business goals … be it a marketing goal, product development goal, a scheduling goal, etc. Where do you begin? Do you jump into the heart of the goal or into any specific part of accomplishing the goal and build from there? Maybe you look up a “how to” that addresses a piece of what you need to do, but not all of it?

Going back to jigsaw puzzles, my success came when I applied a natural innate common sense process used by many:

Look at the goal – the picture of the completed puzzle.

Identify the pieces that must be connected for achieving this goal and all their demographics – shapes, colors, edges. etc

Identify the location of these pieces. (place the different types of pieces into like piles).

Create a mapping of the pieces and flow of connectivity. For example, work on the straight edges first , places the colors in respective areas inside the boundaries, as related to the puzzle picture/goal, and find matches by the types of edges.

What will keep the energy going, i.e. which areas within the puzzles might be easier to complete first and keep the interest alive.

What will be the best way to deliver the finish product to all who participate? Photo & back in the box? Laminate and place on the wall? A stack of finished puzzled on the book case?

The plan is in place, GO!
It’s a pretty simple and natural process and a fun one! It keeps the eye on the goal And it’s a process behind pretty much if not all the How To’s we use in business. It just gets hidden with added complexities!!!

It’s a process I bring awareness to for our use in achieving business goals. I have labeled it T.H.E., a 7 step process, directive, for making the achievement of business goals simpler AND more efficient & successful.

Stop putting goals you might have, back in the box before they are achieved. Reach out to know more … I welcome complimentary conversations,

Let’s successfully complete all the puzzles on your desk!

Here’s to your communications success!

#communicationsstrong

margie