Permission to challenge: How we turned 100 Dumb Things into a Movement for Change
After my article on Extreme Ownership (XO) and its potential to revolutionise leadership, I had the largest number ever of people sending me DMs asking for more detail on the “how”.? That is why today I want to share a real-world example of how we put this concept into action.? I will focus specifically on one of our key commitments: taking ownership for working smarter.
I know the phrase "working smarter" often triggers eye rolls. It's easily dismissed as corporate jargon or even a thinly veiled demand to increase productivity without additional resources – the “more with less” kind of thing, right?? Well, I’ve seen with my own two eyes what's achievable when a team is genuinely empowered to take ownership of the change they want to see.
When we first introduced the idea of XO, we faced a healthy dose of skepticism, especially around the commitment to work smarter. Our team had seen their fair share of improvement initiatives that amounted to little more than lip service. Many were afraid to speak up, worried their ideas would be dismissed or, worse, that they'd face backlash for rocking the boat. And let's be honest, there was a strong contingent who clung to the "that's how we've always done it" security blanket.
So, how do you overcome this resistance and create real change? Simple. You ask.
We kicked off with a series of co-design sessions, asking our people a straightforward question: "How might we encourage you (yes, yóú, not the person next to or behind you, yóú) to actively play your part in making your job more meaningful – for you and for the business?"
The answer was clear and unanimous: they wanted to be heard. Really heard. Not just nodded at and then ignored. They wanted to see their ideas put into action, to know that their time and effort in suggesting improvements wasn't wasted.
This insight led to what we affectionately dubbed the "The 100 Dumb Things Movement".
Armed with massive "graffiti wall" posters and a message from the heart, I visited all my work sites. The message was simple: I’m asking every single individual here to join the movement.? I asked them to help us find the (at least) 100 dumb things we do. We wanted to identify those processes, procedures, or habits that made no sense, that wasted time or resources, or that simply frustrated everyone.
We wanted every team member to know that they had my permission. Permission to question. Permission to challenge. Permission to think differently. Permission to stop doing dumb things just because? . . .? that’s how I was trained . . .? it’s safer to just do as I’m told . . .? it’s always been done that way . . .? I don’t want to rock the boat.?
But identifying problems is only half the battle. The real challenge - and the real test of our commitment to XO - was in addressing them.
We asked our people leaders to encourage their teams to self-govern. Each week, teams would gather around their graffiti wall and agree on the top three issues they wanted to tackle. We encouraged them to apply our ABC test to determine the viability of their ideas. Of course, we kept the ABC criteria very simple:
A was for Action – was it within our power to action this idea?
B was for Benefits – were they able to articulate the benefits to our team, our customers and/or our business?
C was for Cost – did they have any idea of the cost and did they think the benefit would outweigh the cost?
The team would then share their priorities for the week with their people leader, who had four possible responses:
a)??????? Give an immediate commitment to make the change - and then do it within a day
b)??????? Provide a specific timeframe for when the change would happen – and then do it by that date
c)??????? Mandate a small group to investigate the issue further – and then provide progress updates within a week
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d)??????? Add the suggestion to our digital development backlog – and then provide monthly updates.
This process ensured that every idea was acknowledged and acted upon in some way. No more black holes where good ideas disappeared, never to be seen again. And let’s be clear, not every idea was implemented as suggested.? Sometimes it was because the team agreed that they didn’t pass the ABC test; other times it might have been for another very good reason.? But every idea was properly considered and fully responded to.
The impact was profound. As people saw their suggestions being heard, considered and often leading to real changes, belief in the process grew. The fear of speaking up diminished. The "we've always done it this way" crowd started to come around as they saw the benefits of the changes.
But the most significant shift was in how our team viewed their role. They were no longer passive participants in their work environment. They became active shapers of it. They took ownership not just of their tasks, but of how those tasks were performed.
Of course, like with any intervention, the success of the "100 Dumb Things Movement" hinged on the passion and commitment of our people leaders. ?As always, some embraced it more readily than others.
I noticed that those hesitant to let their teams take the reins had often been bitten by failed initiatives in the past. Their caution was understandable, but it threatened to undermine the entire movement. It became clear that my role wasn't just to launch the call to action, but to continually build confidence and belief in the process.
This required ongoing engagement with our people leaders. I made it a priority to regularly check in, celebrate successes (no matter how small), and provide support when challenges arose. It was about showing them that this wasn't just another fleeting programme, but a fundamental shift in how we operated.
To maintain momentum and transparency, we implemented a robust reporting system. Each site produced a weekly report, which we then consolidated into a department-wide summary. We tracked:
Our reporting served multiple purposes. It kept everyone accountable, allowed us to celebrate progress, and helped identify areas where additional support or resources were needed. Importantly, it provided concrete evidence of the movement's impact, which was crucial in winning over the skeptics.
The journey wasn't always smooth. There were weeks when the walls seemed to stagnate, and times when promised actions were delayed. But by maintaining transparency and consistently reinforcing our commitment to the process, we were able to push through these challenges.
?For me, this initiative drove home three crucial lessons:
1.??????? Actions speak louder than words. It's not enough to say you want ideas; you have to show that you value them through visible action and follow-through.
2.??????? The people closest to the work often (actually, I want to say álways) have the best solutions. By empowering our team to identify and solve problems, we tapped into a wealth of knowledge and creativity that had previously been untapped.?
3.??????? If you want change to be real and to stick, let the people who do the real mahi, own the idea.? If it’s their idea, they have a vested interest in making it work.? As simple as that.
Our "100 Dumb Things" movement is a great example of Extreme Ownership in action. It's about creating an environment where everyone feels responsible for and capable of improving their work. It's about fostering a mindset where questioning the status quo isn't just allowed, it's encouraged.? And that mindset shift, while challenging, was worth every ounce of effort.
So, I challenge you: how can you empower your team to own their work environment? How can you create space for surfacing and then addressing the "dumb things" that might just transform your organisation?
Remember, in the world of Extreme Ownership, it's not about being perfect. It's about constantly striving to be better. And sometimes, that starts with admitting the dumb things we do.
GM Consumer & Business, Customer CARE | Voice & Messaging
3 个月Love this …great initiative..well done