Ready, Fire, Aim – Why do people and organizations skip to solutions before thinking through the problem?
Being action-oriented is a good thing, right? Well, yes and no. There's a big difference between learning and adjusting quickly ("failing fast") and wasting time and resources by "rushing off half cocked".
Executives and teams alike are eager to be (and be seen) "doing something", but they often fail to recognize the distinction between 'activity' and 'progress'. As a result, they act upon the first reasonable idea that comes along. The trouble with acting on the first reasonable idea is twofold. First, there might have been much better ideas, and second, once you start working on the first idea, you stop looking for the better ones. Outcomes are often sub-optimal – problems not solved, product not launched, etc.
Want to dramatically improve your team's odds of achieving consistently strong outcomes? Next time everyone's ready to run with the first reasonable idea, set aside just 30 minutes and challenge the group with this 3-step process:
- Can we think of at least 5 other options? Take 10 minutes to REALLY challenge yourselves with this one. Team members' minds are already falling in love with the first idea and will play tricks on them; they want to go-go-go! Pro tip: Don't just estimate the 10 minutes, use a timer.
- What are the risks associated with the first idea? Take 10 minutes to write down reasons why it might not work. Really go at it. Pretend a rival of yours posted the idea on the internet and you want to embarrass them in the comments!
- With the final 10 minutes, make a plan. An idea is seductive; if you think it will solve your problem, you become blind to the effort required to pull it off. Create a table of the intermediate actions and milestones between where the team is and completing execution. Add realistic time estimates to the table. Pro tip: Then add 10-50% to each estimated duration.
A variety of proven tools and techniques exist to help teams perform these steps thoroughly and efficiently, but for now, focus on challenging yourself and your team using these 3 10-minute steps. Try it out a couple of times and watch the quality of your ideas (and results) soar! When you're ready to take it to the next level with your team or organization, get in touch – we're here to help.
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