We do not have "right answers" we have hypotheses to be tested and refined.
In our exploration of Leading in Uncharted Territory, rule 10 is: Keep an attitude of experimentation - we do not have "right answers" we have hypotheses to be tested and refined.
As we think about our current environment where the old rules no longer work and the new rules are not yet tested, we become the scientists proposing new ways of operation and testing them. It is through our experimentation that we learn what works and what does not. This means we let go of the idea that we should not make mistakes, rather, like we did in science class, we designed “safe experiments” where we can learn and refine our approach.
If we are paralyzed by “failure” or getting it wrong, we are likely to move slowly and be passed by competitors who have adjusted their thinking and risk tolerance to seek out small experiments and determine in advance acceptable risk. By changing this orientation, we position ourselves to excel in uncertainty. It gives us the impetus to explore new ways of doing business, improving our products and services, and revamp our service.
I want to share a personal story in this area. 2008 was a challenging year for our leadership consulting business. Our team’s concerns about our future direction caused us to really consider a basic SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). We identified several opportunities we had not previously leveraged. One of these ideas was to teach introductory leadership development classes at little to no cost to gain greater exposure to potential clients. We tried several configurations and changed them pretty dramatically for the first few times. We went from a 2 day class to a 4 hour class. We went from market rate to break even with no compensation for our time. This latter model worked. During the past year we added several clients and also a critical member of our team. We measured leads, relationships developed, clients developed, colleagues developed, strategic alliances developed.
This experiment tested my courage and willingness to present material I was not completely comfortable with. I was faced with the idea that we could have a class that people would not attend. What if I build it and they do not come? I did test with friendly clients first then moved to a broader audience. I also had trusted colleagues attend each session and give very discerning feedback. We wanted to know what worked and what did not so we could learn from our experiments and improve. While I wanted people to say I am wonderful – I wanted even more to tell me where I need to refine my experiment.
Experimentation is an important quality of later stage leadership (Level 5 Leaders). Leaders at the Individualist and later levels seek feedback aggressively. This is one quality that allows us to learn quickly and take corrective actions.
In addition to organizational transformation workshops, we launched this blog, developed a structured marketing plan, published several papers, and began expanding our alliances. Some of these had a quick pay back like the classes and others did not have a visible pay back but we believe they will have a longer term payback.
For me, I needed to try new approaches to business development. First I evaluated cost in time and money and determined what I was willing to invest. I measured the impact where I could and took a ruthless approach to evaluation and refinement. This approach allowed me to make small experiments that we could afford. Some of them were very effective immediately and others needed significant modification. The experiments worked. We grew the business significantly and also increased our credibility.
Where are you experimenting with your business? Are there any areas you could benefit from additional experiments? Do you encourage curiosity?
Photo Credit: Jose Kevo
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Lucy
http://dataentryjob-s.com
Posted by: Lucy | January 7, 2010 at 10:17 PM