The Power of the Nudge

In the classic movie Apollo 13, at a critical moment in their journey, one of the main characters must line up the spaceship to return to Earth. It seems relatively simple, doesn't it? It would be if the ship was fully functioning and the crew had plenty of rest, were comfortable, and had done the procedure before. But that's not the case. Not even close.

For those who haven't watched the movie, Apollo 13 is the real-life story of how five American astronauts survived a near-fatal trip to the moon. It was known as a "successful failure" in that the men made it back after a technical issue created an explosion on the ship, which caused significant damage and rendered it almost useless. It's this event where we get the famous phrase, "Houston, we have a problem."

In that crucial scene, the three astronauts have to use a manual burn to align the broken-down craft into a small window of space so gravity can do its job and return them to Earth safely. The issue is that they have little knowledge of how the ship will work due to the damage; one is rather ill, and they haven't had proper sleep, food, or warmth in a few days.

You can watch the scene here to see how it turned out.

Apollo 13 Scene

https://youtu.be/F54p5SRG1x0?si=jEbVzamfwnmaCwAF

As you can see, achieving their goal took a lot of cooperation, communication, and adjustments. What you (and the crew) didn't know was that missing the angle of descent by just 1 degree would mean that they would miss Earth not just by a couple of miles but by 10,000 miles or more. It meant no return, no reunification with family members, no happy ending to the story.

Our everyday realities are not as dramatic or catastrophic. They are likely a series of meetings, events, and activities we must complete. Letting our standards slip over time is easy because we overlook the minor deviations. When we look up after a little bit, we can see that we are off target, but it's still manageable. We don't adjust, and in a couple of years, we are way off course and now have to take drastic action if we want to get back on the original path.

This is true of our diets, exercise, financial, social, mental, career, or any other element in life. Very few things in life are accomplished by drifting to our goal. Meaningful goals are hard to achieve, require tremendous energy and focus, and multiple adjustments based on lived experiences.

Hence, the power of the "nudge", a minor course correction needed to stay on the path. A nudge helps remind us of the goals and the difference between reality and the goal. Nudges allow us to avoid making major course corrections, which usually result in unnecessary drama, effort, and energy that could be used for forward momentum.

A standard operating procedure (SOP) works best for a nudge to work. The SOE/SOP details what is expected in order for the action to be considered acceptable. For a fast food restaurant, an SOP would be used to determine if a hamburger is prepared correctly, cooked to the right temperature, and ready to be served. Any deviation from the SOP would mean they must resolve the issue or start again. You can have SOPs for anything, including how you open your store, handle customer interactions, reconcile your books at the end of the month, or fly a plane. Many organizations have them in theory, but only some have them detailed to the point where they can be measured and trained without significant manual intervention.

The next step is to measure the SOPs to determine if they are being met. These checkpoints should be done at a frequency that makes sense. For instance, checking to ensure the burgers are cooked each time makes sense. Waiting a month to review the internal temperatures would not be prudent, as the time to rectify an issue is long gone.

In the review process, you want to determine if the standard is set at the right level and the measurement is accurate. This review will allow you to find where there are deviations from the norm and what can be done to correct it. For example, if the burgers coming off the grill are 10 degrees too low, you would review the SOP to see if it states to check the temp or cook it for a specified time. The nudge would be to update the SOP to check the temp and to place a sign above the grill with the specific temp needed as a reminder.

The review should also consider the impact of the deviation from the goal. Nothing is worse than having a SOP that has no connection to the ultimate goal. Ensure that your SOPs truly have an impact, are necessary, and, most importantly, are adequately communicated to those completing them SOPs and their value.

Creating sound SOPs, monitoring, and adjusting as needed will ensure that you and your team reach their goal without the drama of a major motion picture.

One of the best sources of course corrections, or nudges, comes from feedback. Please share your nudges below on how you were able to nudge others. If you want to give me a nudge, send me a note via LinkedIn, email, or DM.