The Best Ideas Start Small - and Get Better

The original London Underground map wasn’t the product of awaydays or expensive consultants, it was a side project by an electrical engineer.

Harry Beck designed it in his spare time and, when he showed them, the managers at London Transport weren’t convinced.

Crucially, though, they funded a limited print run - and were surprised when it was a hit.

Had they just said ‘no’, one of London Transport’s greatest-ever innovations would have been strangled at birth.

But even though they personally didn’t like it, they ran a small-scale experiment.

The rest is history…

Take Action

If you’re a leader:

As leader, you have a power of veto. But, if you can, delegate that power of veto to the results of an experiment. Ask: “What’s the smallest version of this we could test — and learn from?” Then fund that.

If you’re a team member:

Don’t demand everything at once. Pitch the experiment. Let success do the persuading.