If You Only Do Things Where You Know The Answer In Advance, Why Bother?

In a world where we've been taught from both the educational system with a left-brain leaning agenda (Choose the correct answer based on multiple choice, please) and even worse a fragmented media that dumbs down complex issues to the point there really isn't critical thinking discussions around why we do the things we do, is it any wonder that the business world is filled with "check the box" business people who have no pedigree for risk?

If that's how business is going to operate, why not replace it with software instead of conceptual thinkers?

In the modern era and age of business have you found yourself having to answer this question too much?

"Will this strategy/plan/product work?"

If so (and I know you have), what was your response? Did you start searching for other gigs quickly on LinkedIn? All kidding aside, my simple response to that question in uncomfortable scenarios has been this: "I don't know if it will work unless we try it (and collect some data in the process)."

It's interesting how several of us were raised in a world (or raise our own kids presently) where we were always encouraged to at least try. That with failure comes learnings on what not to do as much as what to do in order to go beyond implementing "calculated risks."

What's the old saying, "no risk, no reward?"

With no leap of faith attitude we would never have any of these companies even in existence: Virgin, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Uber, IBM, Ford, Ogilvy & Mather, etc.? No app that you or I can't live without would have ever been developed. Someone probably asked every app developer or small business owner at least dozen times, "yeah, but will it work?"

I feel your loneliness.

So how come business has become so risk averse? I understand the need to be tactical. Marketing and the modern world of business is now a tactical, contact sport. What I mean by this is you have to measure everything that you do in real time so you can see if you want to continue doing it, abandon it or optimize it. There's nothing wrong with this approach. However you need to fight against those trying to move what works into an algorithm that helps define your future (or lack thereof) and omits new risk taking ventures.

Let's be honest, business is all about navigating the unknown and how you handle success and failure shows character and culture.

Business is also a contact sport because you should be bumping into your customers (in a good way by reaching out to them before they reach out to you) and living and breathing how they do with your products and services. Simply thinking that you are the employee and they are the customer in a day and age where platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, What's App, Skype, Radian 6, Microsoft Social Listening and countless others allow me to hear, feel and see customer pain points is missing the point that the best products, the best governments, the best worlds in the near future will actually be inspired by ordinary people and customers who design new solutions in tandem with companies. There is no dividing line anymore between customer and company. Not in this transformative era of the mobile social web where everyone becomes an employee who uses your services. The best companies have people on staff that live and breathe yet are objective about the product just as much as the biggest customer users. These ambassadors speak for the customer by making sure that the company is taking risks to suit customers and not solely company needs.

This is not to say the following scenario I am calling for will work. I don't know if it will.

However I will never know if I don't ever try.

Geoffrey Colon works at Microsoft as a Group Product Marketing Manager. He is writing his first book Disruptive Marketing for AMACOM Books to be released in 2016. Follow his left brain meets right brain thinking here on LinkedIn or on Twitter. Check out his latest audio thought leadership on Soundcloud.