A Mindset for Success - Defy Expectations by Not Believing What You Are Told!
Have you ever noticed how outsiders occasionally revolutionize an industry? There is something about a fresh set of eyes at the helm that can bring desperately needed innovation to an organization. In 2016, Forbes cited the growing trend of corporations finding management talent from outside of the organization. Such leaders are more immune to the mantra "That's not how we do it.", and apparently this is one of the ingredients in the recipe for success. They often have experiences in different organizations that do things quite differently. Rather than a liability, companies are learning that diversity of experience is actually a plus. So how can we cultivate this sort of mindset as business owners and managers?
Allow me to share a trivial experience, not from business, but from my time in the Marines. As I have pondered it, I believe there is a lesson there that may apply. Marine Land Navigation Training It was a warm summer night in the woods of Virginia. I was in the field training portion of the Intelligence Analyst course at the Navy-Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center. We were surprised when the Sergeants told us to grab our field jackets for a special exercise. I'm sure it was a Sergeant that planted the seed which became the terrifying rumor that we were going to get a taste of SERE training. Marines seem to like rumors, but when they convey the notion of immanent suffering (in this case in the form of an expectation of being mis-treated as POWs) rumors spread with ease.
Instead, we were hiked out onto an empty rifle range. It turns out, we were simply going to be given a practical demonstration that when we lack our bearing, we all walk in circles even though we think we are walking in a straight line (There is tangential lesson there as well, perhaps for another post). We broke up into two groups, so we could observe each other. When one group was selected, they were told to put their jackets on backwards, and to cover their faces with the jacket hoods so that they would not be able to see anything. Each Marine was then spun around and told to walk in a straight line. It was comical to see every single one of them walk in circles, thinking they were heading straight ahead. Some walked in large circles. Some walked in amazingly tight circles. The secondary point was for each person to get a sense of which way, and to what degree they naturally listed to the left or right so that they could compensate for this tendency in a real-life unguided land navigation situation.
We all walked in circles... all except for me. I walked at a speedy pace, straight ahead and over the back berm of the range. They had to send somebody out to get me. No, there was no hole in my hood, and I was not peeking nor cheating in any way. What did I do different? Why was I the only one who was able to achieve the mission given?
First of all, I resolved that I would not be beaten as expected by the scenario. Second, I did not accept the assumption implied by the hood - that I was blind. Third, I took stock of the situation, and used the same powers of observation that everyone else had at their disposal. Through my hood I could see the very faint glow of the moon. It was not much, but it was enough. As long as I made sure that they glow stayed in the same spot, I had a constant guide and was able to do what none of our NCOs or Officers expected.
Don't merely accept assumptions, even when reinforced by instruction. Most of the time, we are wise if we heed instruction. But if we desire to transcend challenges and expectations, we must remember that insight can come from other sources as well.
How might we translate this to our role as business leaders? First we must determine that we can and will overcome the situation before us. Second, We must be ready to temporarily suspend our trust in the given. Maybe it doesn't always have to be done that way. Maybe there is a way to achieve that goal even without that budget we are told we need. Maybe, the experts are wrong this time. Third, we must stop, and look at the situation with fresh eyes utilizing fresh or forgotten sources of information. Yes there may be a good reason that things have always been done a certain way. But sometimes the business or organizational landscape changes. If we but pause to make occasional fresh assessments, we may surprise ourselves as we discover indicators and opportunities missed by everyone else. When we find those, we are able to use them as our guide to achieve our goals.
It seems to me that one reason we fail to think this way is that we are just too busy doing things as they have always been done. We know that a smart business person sets aside time to not just work 'in' the business, but to work 'on' the business. Perhaps, we would do well to set aside just a little bit of time to simply 'think' about our business. Think about it from top to bottom without the accepted and formerly useful assumptions. Spend some time reading about unrelated but perhaps analogy laden subjects. In the early days of the internet, it dawned on me that there would be a few companies that would absolutely dominate. I arrived at this realization as I gazed at trees, analogized them to the internet, and thought "What if there was a tree with a root and leaf structure larger than those around it? Surely they would block their competitors from obtaining necessary nutrients." Or spend some time investigating new technologies. You might just discover a creative and more affordable ways of doing things that your competitors have not yet discovered.
Surely, this mindset takes practice and a willingness to just be still and thoughtful - even a little playful, not unlike an outsider learning the ropes, always asking "Why do they do it this way?" I find my most creative ideas arise when I am resting thoughtfully and momentarily let go of assumptions, or simply taking a break to play a game or enjoy some art. Perhaps you have experienced this too. Perhaps this will help us to think more like objective outsiders, and like them, become better problem solvers and innovators.