Posts Tagged ‘mavericks’
Purposeful experimentation = innovative leaps
Wouldn’t it be marvelous if there was a computer simulation that would enable you to test out new, radical business moves. What if you could set it running and see what happens if you abolish set working hours, make all meetings optional, put a bunch of Rail developers in charge of HMRC, or have everyone in your company spend half their time doing whatever they want?
The trouble is, the simulation would never be able to make a true prediction. There are too many variables, too much complexity, too many interconnected happenings and influences, to ever dream of accurately estimating how it’ll pan out. The vast majority of financial forecasts looked at in retrospect betray this insufferable lost cause.
This leaves us with a couple of options:
1. Don’t test out any new, radical business moves and hope doing the usual stuff yields results
or
2. Break down any barriers preventing people from purposefully experimenting. These barriers can be cultural, psychological, financial, social or structural. You won’t spot all of them; nor will any individual. That’s why feedback loops are important.
You might want to begin by making a list of barriers you can see in front of you. Have others add to the list, from all levels in the organisation. If someone demonstrates a particularly deep understanding and passion around a specific barrier, put them in charge of coming up with a plan to dismantle it. Take responsibility for ensuring they’re able to work autonomously and purposefully, measuring the results and sharing the learnings. Make sure they can connect with anyone they need to. Focus on instilling a culture of grownup trust; free from blame, shame and regret.
I’m not saying everyone employed in simulations and forecasts is wasting their time. On the contrary, there’s extreme value in attempting to understand influences, spot patterns and gauge what might happen next.
I’m just saying the only way to consistently and frequently make great innovative leaps is by relentlessly trying, failing, succeeding and discovering for ourselves. Conveniently enough, it also makes for happier, more fulfilling lives all round; not to mention greater profitability.
Innovation killers
There are two types of company out there: companies who encourage their mavericks and companies who constrict them until they’re forced out (after months, often years, of long-drawn-out subpar productivity).
There’s a scary tendency in many companies for the best people – those most likely to produce big leaps forward – to do their innovative stuff under the radar, keeping schtum about their latest super-cool project, in case the powers that be stick their ore in and squish it dead before it’s off the ground.
Yes, this is ridiculous.
Yes, this is counter-productive (and counter-common-sense).
Yes, it’s a key reason why the best people leave companies.
Why?
Why?
WHY?
(Fear, fear, FEAR!).
Culture of participation
The ironic thing about the culture of participation brought about by our newly networked society and universal(ish) toolset, is the fact it could edge many of us into a life of non-participation – i.e. non-participation in traditional systems. Whether we like it or not, there are certain traditional systems ’successful’ people are somewhat forced to tolerate, in order to be ’successful’. How many rich people do you know who truly don’t care about the small things that frame the world of business, entrepreneurship, social media etc?
As Marc Lewis once said to me, you can whack the ball just outside the line and scream like hell that it’s in and you might get away with it. Or you can play it safe and play the ball within the line. But if you whack it way out of the court all together, people just laugh and you fail.
Isn’t that a real shame?
We have a very tame idea of what’s maverick in the media industry. In my post about the ‘Future of TV Advertising’ I talked a bit about the offense of being deemed maverick for pointing out some pretty basic home truths about broadcasting. Ego-wise, people learn to love this sort of self-positioning. Speakers, authors, bloggers who comment on the future of any industry in a way that’s non-traditional revel in their maverick status. But it is really maverick? What would the world be like if we reframed our judgment? I think we might just find out, given that social media tools and connectivity now allow us to survive without physical participation in the system we’re influencing (somewhat paradoxical). Real mavericks now have the exposure to influence wannabes, which makes for interesting viewing and enough inspiration to tip others over the edge.
The word ‘alternative’ could (and I hope it will) take up a whole new meaning.
Now here are a couple of true mavericks:
Now, it just so happens that they’re in the extreme sports arena, but that’s not the important thing. The important thing is that they’ve dedicated their lives to a particular feeling of resonance they only get when pursuing the thing they love; and the fact they risk everything, because nothing matters more.
How many industry ‘mavericks’ can we say that about?
Copyright ResonanceBlog 2009
Recent Comments