Cutting through the hype to create alignment and business results

Most leaders have been exposed to the concept of “Fail, Fast, Forward” in its many different forms at least a few hundreds times.  As a quick historical review, the concept started becoming mainstream in the mid-2000’s and basically took an old concept and made it more relevant to the digital age.  I’m sure you’ve seen quotes such as Thomas Edison saying “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” on LinkedIn and Facebook many times and have made a mental note about how profound it is.  In essence, “Fail, Fast, Forward is a concept that embraces learning from mistakes and moving forward; without making the same mistakes over and over again. 

These sorts of quotes often inspire us to pass them along to our colleagues and team in hopes of motivating them to do something different.  Unfortunately for many of us, the next email, text, call, or meeting gets in the way and we don’t really have a chance to create a culture that truly embraces fail, fast, forward.

In the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous 24/7 business world of 2016 and beyond, one of the most difficult challenges leaders face is the loss of employees, subject matter expertise, and focus because of the constant and disruptive changes occurring in every market. 

A small team of participants who were deeply engaged in the learning journey were stuck.  Thirty minutes into running a computer-based leadership simulation designed to develop their leadership skills, they came to a complete standstill when it came time to making decisions around priorities.  As the facilitator of the simulation workshop, I listened intently to the conversation.  One participant said, “I have no idea what we should do next because the way we have set up the business, we have competing business priorities.” While another shared; “Well, we better do something quickly because just like in the real world, we don’t have forever. Just make up your minds as to what’s important”

Every leader, no matter the industry they are in, or the strategy they are executing, is facing the same big challenge - convincing people to stay with their company during a time of disruptive change.  Within the next 36 months, there are a string of changes that your organization will potentially go through - an acquisition, a merger, a business unit split, or maybe all three at the same time!  Leaders who are already being asked to do more with less, will be further challenged to create a positive and exciting environment that offers employees opportunities, recognition, rewards, and consistency.

As we come to the end of Summer, 2016 many business leaders are focusing on closing this current year strong, at the same time they are planning for 2017.  As part of my role helping organizations develop their leadership skills, I spend a lot of time with leaders who are trying to hone their capabilities and apply new skills to deliver the best business results.  Very often, I find well-intentioned leaders overusing the skills of strategic planning, data analysis, understanding customers, and understanding trends.  As Advantexe teaches in our Business Acumen learning journeys, these are great skills to have and should be used every day to maintain a competitive edge and remain successful.  The challenge, however, is spending too much time on the things right in front of you and not enough time listening to the faint weak signals of your business ecosystem that will impact your business in the near future.