Plan to Learn

Have you ever watched a child play?

They are driven by nothing but discovery. There is no predetermined objective, merely a desire to explore and to understand the world around them. I’ve noticed that, as an adult, I have lost some of that thirst to follow my curiosity (and in some ways for good reasons – I have responsibilities that cannot be ignored as I follow the next shiny object that catches my eye). Regardless, as individuals and organizations, we could stand to embrace curiosity. 

The seventh point on the Seven-Point Framework of Personal Disruption?, be discovery-driven, is rooted in this idea. Before the pandemic, I talked with Rita McGrath on my  Disrupt Yourself podcast. Rita is a best-selling author, professor at Columbia Business School, and one of the world’s top experts on innovation and growth. In our conversation, she shared advice that stuck with me—companies and leaders should plan to learn, not plan to prove they are right.

From an individual perspective, being discovery-driven allows us to continue to grow, to follow our strengths, and build the path meant for us. As I talked about the podcast with Eric Schurenberg, we often hold this linear narrative for success. The child prodigy, who becomes a concert pianist, or the brilliant wunderkind who becomes the brain surgeon––but the reality is only a few of us follow a strictly linear path through life. We meander. And there is beauty and value in meandering. 

When you don’t know what is coming around the next corner, instead of becoming paralyzed with uncertainty, be fueled by curiosity. Remind yourself that regardless of where a path leads, you’ll learn skills along the way that will serve you as you continue to play to your distinctive strengths. Too often, people set a five or ten-year plan and begin executing on that plan blindly, without permitting themselves to explore alternative paths that could unlock something far greater than the original plan set forth. 

In the context of an organization, being discovery-driven can be the difference between capitalizing on innovations and being left behind as disruption occurs around you. I am not saying it’s easy—making decisions about the future is one of the most challenging things leaders face. While it is tempting to coast when things are going well, competitive advantages don’t last forever. As Rita said, the things that seem impossible or doubtful today could be your reality in 10 years, and we need to plan for those realities.

Being prepared to pivot or respond to a change in the market doesn’t happen overnight. In our conversation, Rita cited Earnest Hemingway. In his book The Sun Also Rises, one character asks the other how he went bankrupt. The response was, “well, gradually, and then suddenly.” That’s how change happens. The big shifts may seem like they happen abruptly, but they don’t. If you aren’t driven by discovery and curiosity, you could miss your opportunity. Don’t wait until it’s too late. 

As a leader, what can you do? Consider three of Rita’s suggestions from our conversation.

Don’t rely on lagging indicators. Businesses tend to focus more on lagging indicators than leading indicators. Lagging indicators tend to be concrete metrics, but the problem is that they measure things you can’t change, as they have already happened. In contrast, leading indicators give you information about what might happen in the future, but they tend to be hard to identify and use. While lagging indicators can be useful, focusing on the future is key to evolving as a company.

Open yourself up to warning signs. As a leader, get out to the edges of your organization. Exponential discoveries don’t happen all at once, and they rarely occur in the boardroom. They begin to percolate throughout your organization. Make sure you are opening yourself up to these warning signs. How often do you see for yourself what’s going on in the organization, not just through well-curated reports and presentations? 

Surround yourself with diverse perspectives. One of the easiest ways to lose your ability to be discovery-driven is to only spend your time with those who are like you. People who have shared similar experiences and who come from the same background. Diversity of thought enhances your ability to look around the corner and avoid being blindsided. 

As both a leader and an individual, it can be tempting to play not to lose or to be on the defense when, in fact, the real magic happens when you play to win. 

What can you do to play without fear and be discovery-driven?  

When was the last time you were driven by curiosity? What can you learn from the way children explore the world?

As a leader, how can you create space for your team to share observations that may lead to your next-greatest discovery?