Imagine what is possible

It started with a dream, one that had challenged human minds for hundreds if not thousands of years. While many laboured with the idea of powered flight for their whole lives, with six years of concerted effort the Wright brothers were able to turn the dream into reality.  Their first powered flight on the 16th of December 1903 radically altered what was considered possible and within sixty six years man had landed on the moon.

To bring the dream to life they had to overcome obstacles that had previously seemed insurmountable. It was an achievement that changed the course of history and it was all built on imagination along with a practical can do approach that was not limited by conventional wisdom or self-imposed boundaries.

It wasn’t luck that made them fly; it was hard work and common sense; they put their whole heart and soul and all their energy into an idea

                                                                                               David McCullough

There is a lot to be learnt from how the Wright brothers went about their work. They focused on core principles, seeking simplicity wherever possible. They did not spend huge amounts of money, the total estimated cost of their flying machine was around a $1000, which was much less than the cost of other attempts.

Many early aviators died trying to achieve the same goal as the Wright brothers. It is clear that this risk was always at the forefront of their minds as they methodically tackled the challenges that lay in front of them. The Wright brothers placed a strong emphasis on following a systematic process. This is worth exploring further as it was central to their approach to managing the risks that they faced and it laid a solid foundation for their success.

Throughout history the greatest break throughs and innovations have often come by challenging the status quo and questioning what is possible. Many of these achievements have involved a degree of risk, which by definition entails a possibility of failure.

In recent years we have seen the rise of risk management to counter the possibility of failure with ever increasing measures intended to manage and control risk. With this has come a growing emphasis on the negative. It is reflected in the way we use language; it has become common to speak about risk and opportunity as if they are different, when in fact risk entails both threat and opportunity.

In my area of work the growth of risk management has come in the form of continually expanding rules and regulations that seek to control every imaginable risk. Unfortunately this strategy is limited by the imagination of those creating the rules, often far away from the actual risk. This approach to risk management also sometimes has an unintended and highly detrimental side effect of stifling the creativity that is central to survival and growth.

Concern for risk has often been expressed most loudly in the area of safety, which has become a call to arms for all sorts of initiatives that regularly tend to create bureaucracy and limit thinking. Safety seems to have become an end in itself, again reflected in language that speaks of safety as an independent entity.

It seems that efforts aimed towards achieving safety have become disconnected from the processes that it is meant to support.  This is probably why in the current economic climate it is becoming increasingly common to hear questions about the purpose, execution and cost of safety. These are questions that cannot be brushed aside, it is critically important to demonstrate that efforts aimed at achieving safety are actually delivering value.

Whilst innovation requires a relentless forward focus there is a lot to be learnt by studying the past and most great achievements are built by standing on the shoulders of those who came before.

Reflecting on this approach it seems that somewhere along the way we lost touch with what safety means and how to achieve it. Preventing harm to people, and the environment for that matter, is an absolutely necessary part of most human endeavours. However, safety of people should not and cannot be separated out. It is quite simply a result that sits alongside efficiency, quality and cost as an output of how effectively processes are carried out. Achieving these results requires a clear and methodical focus on the process.

Whilst innovation requires a relentless forward focus, the past often holds valuable lessons. Most great achievements are built by standing on the shoulders of those who came before. For the Wright brothers this meant respecting and studying the work of pioneers such as Otto Lilienthal and Lawrence Hargrave. Hargrave’s work on box kites and Lilienthal’s work with gliders provided important technical information, and Lilienthal’s untimely death provided a further reminder of the risks.

The Wright brothers demonstrated a great deal of respect for the risks, which is reflected in the approach that they took to achieving powered flight. Each step taken to push the boundaries was carefully measured; mindful of both what was possible and what could go wrong, while never losing sight of the end goal. Their approach showed imagination to see both threats and opportunities and placed a strong focus on control of the process of achieving flight.

There is an important difference in focusing on the process rather than the result and as the Wright brothers demonstrated, executed well it can yield amazing results. The best managers understand this and one only has to look at sport to see a clear example of it in action. The best sporting coaches put their focus and that of their teams on the process that will deliver a winning result. There is no practicable benefit in constantly talking about the scoreboard; the real value is in talking about how the score can be achieved.

Rather than describing a result Imagine-Think-Act describes a simple process

Too often in business endeavors we can become excessively focused on the result creating a distraction from the process, or at worst driving constant changes to the process. The process must be carefully crafted with the result in mind, but from then on the main focus has to be on the process. So how can this approach be applied in a business environment?

It takes both vision and fortitude to head in a new direction, particularly if it challenges traditional practices. It is very satisfying to work with clients that are willing to challenge conventional wisdom and self-imposed boundaries. Recently I was given just such an opportunity to facilitate the development and implementation of a corporate program for a large client with operations and projects in nearly 50 countries.

Imagine-Think-Act is the name of the new program that we created. It was not a quick branding exercise but instead came at the end of a structured and sometimes difficult process in which the organisation involved many of its key leaders and looked openly and honestly at its strengths and weaknesses. The final result, Imagine-Think-Act, captures core aspects of the organisation’s culture and supports growth into an unpredictable future.

A lot of detail sits under the Imagine-Think-Act name, but the importance of getting the name right should not be underestimated. The language that we use has a huge bearing on the meaning that we take away and the behaviours that follow.

A number of factors make Imagine-Think-Act different from many traditional programs. Rather than describing a result, Imagine-Think-Act describes a simple process; it provides a clear language for conversation about the process for all members of the organisation.

The process starts with Imagine. Much like the Wright brothers dream of powered flight, the boundaries of our ability to see opportunities and threats are limited by our imagination. The conversation starts with ‘imagine what is possible’ rather than immediately being limited by what we believe not to be possible.

Think requires us to find ways to bring what we imagined to life. It is about planning, formally or informally, and seeking innovative ways to turn ideas into reality. It is about a methodical and disciplined approach that demonstrates respect for the risks while never losing site of the goal.

Without action ideas and dreams remain nothing more than that. Act speaks to the need for visible and felt leadership. In Act we are seeking ownership, passion and commitment to achieve the goal.

It is easy to limit our thinking because of the things that we are told or believe are not possible. Successfully taking calculated risks relies on the ability to imagine what is possible and then finding ways to do it.

The Wright brothers, like many before and since them, demonstrated the power of a dream. They showed us that it is possible to tackle great risks successfully and that amazing achievements are possible if we go about it the right way. In difficult times it is more important than ever to keep an open mind and to imagine what is possible.