Guess what!
You’re structured for slow in the era of fast! You’ve got a boat anchor puling you down. And you can’t collaborate like you should be able to.
That was the key message on stage for one of my clients – and the knew it was true!
“Committees are the black holes of the corporate universe – it’s where innovation goes to die, creativity is destroyed, bright sparks of imaginative thinking are snuffed out – and a place from which no great idea or bold initiative can ever escape!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
Committees are killing your future – because just as light cannot escape from a black hole, your concept for disruptive, creative thinking is guaranteed to disappear forever when it is pulled into the gravitational field of this lowest form of group- think.
Here’s your reality :You’ve had a great idea. You’ve tested it out. You’re shared the concept with a few people – excitement builds around your discovery! You are purposeful, driven, initiative-energized!
And then you are told that you need to take your idea to the ‘committee’ so that there is consensus. Agreement and concurrence. So that feathers aren’t ruffled, or so that others can have a kick at the validity of your concepts and add their ‘two cents worth.’
You take a deep breath, and prepare for your presentation. With trepidation, you enter the room.
And an hour later, you emerge. Destroyed. Deflated. Lost.
The committee tore your idea to shreds – not with logic, but with spite. Rather than reaching for the bold concepts that you’ve presented, the committee has determined that it is best to pursue the lowest risk path towards guaranteed failure so as to not get out of a ‘comfort zone.’ Rather that taking fast new initiatives to conquer fast moving trends, the committee decides is best to slam on the brakes in order to ‘study’ the issue.
Your worst fears come true – a special ‘sub-committee’ is created to study your plan, with a plan to report back in eight months.
Your idea is dead.
You know this is true, don’t you?
Committees are cancer. They are the lowest form of mindthinki that pretty much guarantees a path to failure, a road to the mediocre, a direction to nowhere and a commitment that wavers like jello in a bowl.
Nothing can escape from a committee – because just as black holes distort the laws of gravity, they defy the laws of creativity and disruptive thinking.
“Seek the inspiration that you need with your wins – learn from the hard lessons that come from your losses!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
The future can be a struggle, particularly when the uncertainty of your direction is in play. You can’t be guaranteed a straight-line path to success – in fact, you’ll know that it will involve a regular series of zigs and zags.
That’s why a video that I watched yesterday caught my attention – the individual was suggesting that you pause every once in a while and measure your success. Draw a chart – on one side, mark your GAINS column, and in the other, your LOSSES.
Do an inventory – and as long as your efforts are working in your favor, you’re obviously on the right track. A simple concept with powerful results!
But don’t stop there – be relentless in examining the items in your LOSSES column. Why did they happen? What did you do wrong? What could you have done better? What can you learn from them?
Riding into the future certainly is nothing like riding a bike – you might fall down a lot, but it’s your ability to get back up and keep riding that will, in the long run, determine your overall success.
In fact, success is an iterative process.
So too is the world of business. It’s this very type of thinking of continuous, incremental improvement that is driving the future of manufacturing.
Case in point – at my recent keynote in Morocco for the World Bank / International Finance Corporation, I explained that manufacturing is moving to a world of continual incremental innovation – because we now have the technology to design a product, 3d print it, put it out to market, see how well it is doing – and then instantly change it, rework it, and redesign it.
In this way, the process of manufacturing has become an interactive process – with continual analysis of the GAINS and the LOSSES.
The lesson learned? Take a progress inventory today!
Maybe you’ll find more inspiration for your future by measuring each day what you’ve gained rather than what you’ve lost. You’ll learn to take comfort from working harder to tip the scales of the chart in your favor.
It’s the ‘era of acceleration’ and a race to the future.
Were you even at the starting gate?
Based on my ’19 Trends for 2019′, I put out this 15 minute video at the start of the year to provide some insight on some of the unique and diverse trends that will change your future, and provide both opportunity and challenge. Did you follow them? Understand them? Work to turn them into opportunity?
Are you ready? And fast?
A few months ago, the National Safety Council had me as the closing keynote speaker for their massive annual conference – and I spoke to a few thousand safety professionals on issues surrounding new, emerging, accelerating risk.
Including a story of what happened when Rosie the Robot from the Jetsons went rogue! Enjoy!
(Note: I’m trying to find the original clip. If you know what episode it’s in, please let me know!)
“When the speed of change is relentless, choose to be your faster self!” – Futurist Jim Carroll
Think fast. Act faster!
And don’t ever, ever slow it down.
That’s really the only way to survive these turbulent times
Take a look around you and think about some of the changes you’ve seen in just the last few years.
Cyber-Monday sales wildly eclipsed those of Black Friday – a shopping day that was once all the rage – just a few years ago! Retail is dying, online is everything, logistics hubs and last mile delivery are the new battleground.
The internal combustion engine is dying. A few years ago, most car companies were dismissing electric vehicles. Today, with a few exceptions, most of have have admitted the trend is at the core of their future strategy for survival. Cars are becoming computers and connectivity is the new horsepower.
Oil and carbon are sunset industries – even the Saudis known that. Just a little while ago, renewable energy grids based on giant battery storage farms were a quixotic novelty – today, they are at the heart of many energy utility investments.
Apple used to be the most innovative company on the planet, reinventing entire industries. Today, the best they can do is roll out a few new emojis, move some menu items around, and screw up every software release. They’re quickly going from hero to zero. They no reinvent things – they mess up what they’ve got.
Boeing used to be a widely admired company. Today, people are scared of some of their airplanes because people die when flying them. Brand destruction and devaluation occurs at a blinding speed in the era of instantaneity!
All these changes in but a few short years. What’s coming tomorrow? I’m not sure, but I do know it will be here faster than we think!
Get with the program! Blink once, and you’ll miss the future. Blink twice, and you’ll find that you are stuck in the olden days.
Speed is everything. Old methods won’t work. Ancient reporting structures are death. Job titles are dysfunctional. Slow teams are an anchor. Committees are cancer.
Get with the program – accelerate yourself!
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