Have you ever built something new? And knew it was good enough to share, but you kept tweaking anyway?

Design. Build. Polish.
That’s the natural rhythm of creating something new.

Roman architect Vitruvius said any lasting creation must have firmitas (strength), utilitas (usefulness), and venustas (beauty). The principle is timeless: build a solid foundation, make it useful, then refine it and polish it until it inspires.

But here’s the danger: polishing can trap you in perfectionism.

Take Henry Ford. In 1908, he revolutionized transportation with the Model T. But then he got stuck. Obsessed with making it perfect, he ignored feedback. His engineers threatened to quit. Competitors raced ahead. Ford’s market share collapsed.

Even the greatest innovators can get trapped in endless polishing.

This tension—listening versus polishing—shows up everywhere in leadership and innovation.

• Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and venture capitalist, says, “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
• But Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, might have come back with,  “Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right.”
• Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz challenges us to: “Do whatever is required to get to product/market fit, including changing people, rewriting your product, moving into a different market, telling customers no when you should have said yes, telling customers yes when you should have said no.”
• But Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, reminds us that: “Most decisions should probably be made with around 70% of the information you wish you had.”

Startup thinkers often call this the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)—launching with just enough to learn what really matters and still move forward.

But the point of an MVP isn’t to polish—it’s to listen! 

I’ve lived this tension.

For the past year, I’ve “soft-launched” my book,  Fast Track Your Big Idea: Navigate Risk, Move People to Action, and Avoid Your Strategy Going Off Course.  It’s an easy-to-follow roadmap to learn the fundamentals of defining and implementing a new strategy to get results faster, and how to embrace and reframe risk to use it to your advantage.

Instead of rushing to publish, I treated the first version of book like an MVP and focused on listening. I tested ideas from in 1/2 day Strategy Reboot labs and De-Risking workshops. I shared the book with  CEOs, boards, leadership teams, and employee groups, and helped them address risk proactively leveraging me framework, the De-Risk System for Impact. 

I worked with leaders in some very well-established organizations. And others with a big idea that was still just a twinkle in their eyes.

And then I listened to what people said— what they didn’t.

Some days, listening felt like progress. Other days, it felt like stalling. 

But those voices—of leaders wrestling with real challenges— gave me clarity and the opportunity to see where the real value was. I learned: 

• Which ideas sparked immediate attention—and which were too complex.
• How much accountability leaders really wanted when they say they intended to adopt a new approach.
• The support leaders wanted after they said, “No problem, I’ve got this.”

Through the process of soft-launching my book, I learned (again): 

Listening is about THEM. Polishing is about YOU.
Too much polishing can delay impact. Listening accelerates it.

The result?  In October, I’ll be publicly launching my book, Fast Track Your Big Idea! Not because it’s perfect—but because I’ve listened enough to know it’s time to share the value. I am eager to reach and equip all those visionary leaders with big ideas to solve real-world problems who need it most.

Every bold idea lives in tension between feedback and perfectionism.
The real question isn’t “Have I perfected it?”—it’s “Have I listened enough to share real value with those who need it?”

Because if we wait too long, opportunities pass, momentum fades, and the world misses what we could have contributed.

So– are you listening? Or polishing? 

Welcome to hear what you’re learning.

 – Susan 

PS. If you’d like to join me on the book launch journey, I’d be honored!  Send me a note for details about participating in my launch team at susan.schramm@gotomarketimpact.com.

If your strategy needs a jumpstart, join the next 1/2 day Strategy Reboot  or contact me about leading a custom session for your leadership team. You’ll get under the risks of your strategy, walk away with a focused action plan—and tackle even the uncomfortable fewer missed conversations. Learn more at strategyreboot.com. 

This article is part of my newsletter, “Fast Track Insights”, providing practical ideas whether you are driving a new strategy or getting one back on track. I want to help you avoid common mistakes. Subscribe+ above to receive practical insights once or twice a month.