When you have a great idea, start small and see if it works. Here’s why:

  1. Trying something on a smaller scale educates you about what works and what doesn’t without the same level of risk that a bigger project would.
  2. It’s much easier to get permission for smaller pilot projects.
  3. Pilot projects can generate success stories that can be used for visioncasting and gaining momentum.
  4. Starting small gives you a chance to model the behavior you want to see repeated by others.
  5. Pilot projects allow ideas to fail gracefully rather than blowing up.
  6. Pilot projects usually don’t cost much financially.
  7. Smaller endeavors are able to change course much more quickly if something isn’t working.

What’s your latest, greatest idea? How could you develop a pilot project for it?