In a world where volatility and rapid change are the norm, leaders must learn to balance seemingly opposing forces. The upcoming book, SHIFT: Leading from the Future – co-authored by Mike Straw, CEO and founder of Achieve Breakthrough, and leadership expert Paul Adams – explores the critical mindset shifts needed to navigate today’s complex business environment. Over recent weeks, we’ve been publishing articles that dive deeper into some of the book’s core themes. Here we explore experimentation, not as a one-off initiative, but as a disciplined shift in leadership mindset that drives continuous learning and innovation.
In today's volatile and unpredictable business landscape, the shelf life of even the most carefully crafted plans is shrinking rapidly. What worked yesterday offers little guarantee for tomorrow, and the pace of change only continues to accelerate. The traditional reliance on rigid annual forecasting cycles and slavish adherence to past practices is becoming a significant barrier to growth and innovation. But in an era of non-linear change, how do we navigate a future we can no longer accurately predict?
The answer lies in shifting our mindset from a dependence on static plans to a dynamic culture of experimentation. Forward-thinking leaders are increasingly adopting agile, fail-fast approaches to discover the right path to success. However, building and sustaining such a culture is far from easy.
Breaking free from the prison of plans
Our inherent need for safety often makes us cling to plans, as they provide a sense of security and continuity. We build upon what we know and use past experiences to interpret the future. Yet, plans are really just sets of assumptions. These assumptions, about what can and cannot be done, about how the business operates, solidify over time and can restrict our perception of what’s possible.
The first critical step in making this shift is to identify and interrogate every assumption we can find. This isn’t a one-off exercise but a continuous process of challenging what we take for granted. Remember, assumptions constrain our thinking and contribute to collectively held ‘truths’ or myths about ‘how things are done around here.’ Shifting away from and challenging these assumptions opens the way to contemplate alternative paths to success.
The pitfalls of righteousness and the innovation gap
Being a good leader means being right a lot of the time, but also constantly striving to disprove your own perception of what is right. Beware slipping into ‘righteousness’; when being right takes on a moral authority, making it ‘wrong’ to challenge it. Strong leadership has historically been associated with unwavering commitment to a plan. However, true leadership in today's environment requires the ability to continually undermine our own ‘rightness’. The moment we assume a righteous authority we stifle our teams' ability to invent and undermine any empowerment initiatives. To counter this, leaders must practice shifting from knowing to learning, actively encouraging others to test your assumptions as well as their own.
Another common hurdle is the innovation gap. Businesses often invest in creative thinkers but lament a lack of innovation. The problem isn't usually a lack of creativity, but a failure in implementation. Experimentation bridges this gap by applying creativity to a situation with the goal of achieving progress. Leaders must learn to disentangle creativity from execution to know when to persevere with an experiment and refine its implementation, or when to abandon the underlying idea.
Four thinking shifts for an experimental mindset
In our book SHIFT: Leading from the Future, we explore four fundamental shifts leaders need to cultivate in their mindset in order thrive in a less planned and more experimental environment:
The leader as facilitator of experimentation
Leading an experimental organization requires a shift in the leader's role. Instead of being the sole source of solutions, leaders become facilitators of learning and innovation. They create a psychologically safe environment where teams feel secure in taking risks and learning from breakdowns. Just as a sports coach helps athletes unlock their potential, leaders in business help teams discover and apply their collective strengths. When things go wrong, the focus should be on dispassionate collective analysis to identify what's needed for future success, rather than assigning blame.
Leaders must also be keenly aware of the context of the wider organization – accepted ways of doing things that can subtly restrict individuals’ perception of what is ‘allowed’. They need to challenge these contexts on behalf of their teams. Furthermore, fostering vitality – positive energy and engagement – is crucial for empowered teams to react positively to setbacks and recommit to challenging goals. This requires demonstrating support, trust, and confidence, and constantly reminding the team of their shared commitment.
Embracing the journey of experimentation
Empowerment and experimentation are not one-time decisions but ongoing acts of leadership. Leaders must be willing to flex their level of engagement and control to meet the circumstances, constantly alert to the impact on their teams. Organizations that try to replicate past performance without embracing the uncertainty of experimentation risk falling behind. By putting aside winning ways, questioning everything, practicing 180-degree thinking, and leveraging time pressure, leaders can cultivate a culture of continuous learning and unlock breakthrough performance in today's dynamic business environment.
To learn more about the critical mindset shifts required to thrive in today’s volatile business world, read our book SHIFT: Leading from the Future available on Amazon