Keen On America

What's Your Lego? Bent Flyvbjerg on how to get big things done

Sep 19, 2023
Bent Flyvbjerg, renowned megaproject expert, discusses the surprising factors that determine project success. They explore defining 'big things' and the fascination with major projects. The shared interests of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in scaling up and the Lego principle of achieving big things are also discussed.
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INSIGHT

Big Thinkers

  • Steve Jobs and Elon Musk share a common trait: a focus on big projects.
  • They find smaller endeavors less engaging, prioritizing ambitious, large-scale undertakings.
ADVICE

Identify Your Legos

  • Identify your project's fundamental building blocks, or "Legos."
  • Build big projects incrementally from these smaller, manageable components to facilitate learning and efficiency.
ANECDOTE

Empire State Building: A Lego Approach

  • The Empire State Building's rapid construction was due to its standardized design, treating each floor as a repeatable "Lego."
  • This approach allowed for efficient pre-fabrication and assembly, demonstrating the power of modularity in large projects.
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