The Times Have Changed. Have You?

How often do you hear "It has always been or done that way" in a medium-size or large organization? Well, it is an unfortunate sign of being closed-minded. We do not have to accept something new, but not being open to new ideas and perspectives to enhance the status quo is just wrong in today's world. How do we know we were right or things were good enough in the first place if we never tried a new way or looked at it through a new lens? That is where critical thinking, a curious and open mind, and a will to experiment comes to the rescue.

About fifteen years ago, I met Fredrik Haren, a Swedish author, speaker, and creativity guru who signed and gave me a copy of his new publication, "The Idea Book". A book with 150 blank pages (out of 303 pages) that he claimed followed the footsteps of Edison and DaVinci, who understood the importance of writing down ideas regularly. Some memorable sentences/quote from the book are:

• Learn to question the statement that things are impossible to do.
• Imagination is more important than knowledge (Einstein).
• Wherever there is a group of disgruntled people, there is a market for a new product or service.
• We, humans, tend to think that the status quo is relatively good. At the same time, we get annoyed about things because we believe that is how they must be, instead of identifying what bugs us and finding a solution.
• When you realize that there are two or more ways of looking at things, then you quickly realize that there can never be only one absolute truth.

Unfortunately, some workplaces operate on outdated or irrelevant processes. In my experience, how they end up there is often the outcome of not keeping up with external changes and failing to implement new visions/missions successfully. When organizations fail to address process issues adequately, they will accumulate a "messier situation" as time goes by. Still, no one has had the time (or dared) to question the status quo at the expense of the client and employee dissatisfaction. So this raises the question of why the management does not see the management issues and if they do, why no one does anything about it. Assuming complacency has not dominated the culture, it might as well be a leadership issue, where there is territoriality among teams to gain or maintain a grip on power, budget, human resources, new mandates, and decisions, to name a few.

Not asking the right questions has significant management implications. Struggling organizations would need to recognize the issue in a better way. Some ideas might be keeping a log and an eye on client's or employee's complaints/surveys, delayed delivery timelines, poor output quality, constant issue management (at different levels), non-stop urgent requests, and low productivity to identify such issues. Everyone is so busy, and yet the organization can hardly deliver what it should. I wrote earlier and recommended some solutions for managers who might feel stuck with less relevant thinking. To be clear, I am not suggesting that adding a new process, form, or protocol is always the best solution (but it is common because it is easy to do). Often organizational leaders need to assess the structure and roles for the units to better align resources with the vision and mission. Adding constant checkpoints and processes could also become a productivity killer inadvertently, not to mention that it could result in excessive micro-management that would cause other talent management issues.

Gaining new perspectives is necessary for us to be able to see better or more accurately. It may contradict our past or current thinking, but that should not stop us from seeing in a new way. Because I am not at the liberty of discussing some of my past corporate engagements, I'd use a personal case to make the point about the mindset.

We all know what it would mean when we hear the terms "clockwise" and "counter-clockwise". When I saw a different clock (pictured above, which I believe it says "the times have changed"), my perspective changed. It worked perfectly fine in the opposite direction (of what it has always been). I was in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic in 2013 and saw this clock in the lobby of the place where I stayed. While I considered myself a skilled-enough fly fisher, I had heard about a highly effective technique called Czech Nymphing (using heavy and thin profile hooks that sink fast in rapid currents). I was there for a week-long workshop to learn from master anglers in that technique to gain a new perspective. The new method conflicted with my prior learning and practices. When I came back, I visited the same fishing holes in Ontario (on Grand River and Upper Credit River), and often caught 3-5 times more fish in insanely close distance to the trout (possibly, the most spooky fish an angler could face). So what was it that had changed? My perspective and skills!

A fresh perspective is good, even if it opposes your current belief, and it would be better to give it a try with an expansive mindset. So next time that you hear the cliche about how it has always been or when something is impossible to do, try to get the urge, itch, desire, bug, unrest (or whatever motivates you) to tackle the issue from a new and different angle. Once you find a better way, you'd never stop looking for more improvements. Then, when this becomes a part of the corporate culture, change becomes more pleasant, meaningful, and less fearful, with more participants.

Have you learned a new and conflicting perspective that benefited you or your company? Comment or share here.

Hamid Shirazi