Reframing

Tom Peters has a bit fallen from grace but I still think he's right by saying:

"REFRAME: NEVER ... EVER! ... ACCEPT A PROJECT / ASSIGNMENT AS GIVEN!

"The world of WOW Projects rests on but one word: REFRAMING. That is . . . every "assignment"/"task"/"job" is merely a starting point. Your real "job": Turn that--often apparently mundane--task / job / assignment into something cool/memorable/WOW!"

"WHAT ARE WE UP TO HERE? CREATING STUFF WE'LL REMEBER ... YEARS FROM NOW."

Source: Tom Peters (1999). The Project 50: or, Fifty Ways to Transform Every "Task" into a Project that Matters! New York: Knopf, p. 25.

I've never failed, applying this recommendation and I often did, ignoring it. Failing means in this case, producing something forgettable, predictable, risk-avers, boss-driven & tune less.

Note: this is just another piece in the big cider puzzle.