I am not retreating

“We are not retreating. We are advancing in a different direction.” – General Oliver P. Smith

In my Kung Fu lesson today, we practised moving backwards with a forward energy. And you thought your day was hard!

It occurred to me that this approach is not only useful for generals and martial artists but is at the heart of the entrepreneur’s toolkit. It is the essential component of the Lean Start Up approach and would be a great mindset to cultivate for every Product Owner (and Manager for those that have not been able to advance without the word manager, a minor pivot for the corporate culture).

So, what does ‘advancing in a different direction’, or ‘moving backwards with a forward energy’ actually mean?

Space

The purpose is to create space. When things get too close and are not working for you getting some space to see the wood from the trees, is essential.

In product development, and with change agents, being too close to the problem gets messy and when it is not working in your favour, it is time to pivot.

Taking a step backwards on its own creates space but doesn’t allow the right mindset. A retreat on its own seems like, well, going backwards, and no one wants to do that, in business or in life.

However, taking a step backwards, with full intent on the outcome, provides breathing space to consider strategic options.

Pivot

Pivot is a word that has become common vocabulary in the business world since the advent of the Lean Start Up approach. But what does it actually mean?

Firstly, it means letting go of something that is not working. This can be really hard when everyone has put so much hope, work, and blood, sweat and tears into the last iteration.

A reluctance to let go, is a path to defeat. It is squander of resources that is tiring and frustrating. Usually, once investors have let go of their disappointment the hypothesis was incorrect, they are really grateful you didn’t waste their money by accepting reality and acting on it.

Secondly, it means having an alternative, and working together on a new forwards direction. To do this, the team has to step back from what they are doing and reconsider their outcomes and change strategy to get them. That is the pivot.

The word ‘retreat’

It might be coincidence, but I write this as I am planning the Deeper Change series of retreats. This was a different meaning to me, but I now realise it is the same meaning.

The retreat is a place to create space, to regroup, and to advance in a different direction. It is active not passive. It is forwards not backwards. A retreat is exactly this. It is advancing in a different direction, it is creating space to move forwards into, with a different energy.

What is your experience?

Are you able to let go, to pivot, to move backwards with forward energy?

If you have your focus on the outcome and move in whatever direction will get you there, and if you welcome pivots and all that entails; you maximise your chance of success.

I would love to hear what is stopping or enabling pivoting at your organisation…

This article was first published on Deeper Change .

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