Organizations usually underestimate the potential value of
the most important new information, technology, and ways of
operating. This error occurs because the new information or
resource unexpectedly makes untrue what has been undeniably
true in the past.
Achieving 2,000 percent solutions is a good example of this
tendency. While hundreds of organizations routinely
develop and implement such solutions every day, the
majority of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and
governments continue to focus on how to make 4, 5, or 6
percent improvements. With the same time, effort, and
resources, these people could be accomplishing hundreds of
times more!
What is a 2,000 percent solution? It's any way of
accomplishing 20 times more with the same time, effort, and
resources. Why would you shoot for less?
Here's an example: A best selling business book will
usually be read in part by fewer than 10,000 people. Chop
the book up instead into essays and provide those essays
for free over the Internet, and you will soon have over
500,000 readers. The time, effort, and expense of putting
up those essays will be less than finding an agent for a
book. Lead those essay readers to your Web site and you'll
sell more books than a best selling business book, and
you'll earn more profit because you won't have to split the
revenues with a publisher.
Disbelief: Limited Imagination and Blind Spots
The disbelief stall (a bad habit that delays improvements)
is based on a valid experience, lack of relevant
experience, or a previously established circumstance that
no longer pertains. The bigger the new idea, the more
likely it will boggle the minds of those involved.
Consider this: Over a hundred years ago, Alexander Graham
Bell supposedly offered his fledgling telephone business to
Western Union for $100,000. Western Union reportedly turned
him down cold, perceiving the telephone as an electrical
toy with a limited future. Bell himself initially saw the
telephone as limited to use as a substitute for town
criers. Householders wondered, "Why get a telephone when I
can step outside and talk to my neighbor over the back
fence?" The airplane, radio, computers, and the photocopier
were greatly underestimated in similar ways before becoming
the foundations for major industries. Major breakthroughs
change the possibilities of how we can lead our lives, and
we are slow to see that undeveloped potential.
STALL ERASERS
Creative People with Different Viewpoints
In checking out new information, technology, and
techniques, seek the help of people who enjoy creating new
solutions. You may find these open-minded people among
suppliers, new employees, customers, and outside experts,
including academics. If you don't have enough such people
to draw on, expand your circle of acquaintances.
In the same way that no two people have identical kinds of
curiosity and imagination, organizations likewise differ in
how they look at potential new solutions. You can easily
imagine that Intel, Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, and
Disney would take quite different approaches to addressing
the same opportunity. You should examine your
organization's personality and orientation to consider how
your perspective can be expanded in useful ways, perhaps by
adding new partners and new competencies.
Positive Thinking Starts the Exponential Progress Engine
To overcome the disbelief stall, you need a positive
outlook. You have to believe that wonderful results are
just around the corner, if only you keep looking for
improvements.
Ask yourself a positive question about any possibility you
consider. For instance, imagine that you are being asked to
use a computer in a totally different and more difficult
way for the first time. Instead of fighting this new
assignment, ask yourself how the task could help you get
home sooner every night. A manager recently had a good
experience from opening himself up to this opportunity. An
IT expert noticed that the manager didn't know how to do a
mail merge, a way to produce custom documents for many
people on a list. At first, the manager resented the few
minutes of unexpected training. But that attitude soon
changed after many monotonous tasks were accomplished 20
times faster.
At the same time, it's even more helpful to adopt new
beliefs that open the doors to possibility. A good example
is that many people will never read this article because
they think it's far-fetched to find even one 2,000 percent
solution. A better belief to hold is that untapped 2,000
percent solutions abound in your most important opportunity
areas.
Other helpful attitudes include:
• Seeing roadblocks as opportunities in disguise
• Feeling that all events occur to help you improve
• Believing that large changes can be made quickly to
create positive results
• Being convinced that new technology can easily remove old
limitations
• Believing that high goals are more fun to pursue
STALLBUSTERS
Locate Blind Spots
The more often you hear about something, the more likely
the new thing is to be relevant to your organization. It
helps to seek out the new to speed up the process of
appreciating what's going on. To help identify your
organization's blind spots, ask yourself the following
questions:
• What complaints are customers making that you've chosen
to downplay?
• What things are your competitors doing that you have
decided to ignore?
• What things are the communities you do business in
talking about that you have ignored so far?
• What negative feedback have you been receiving from
employees for at least two years?
• What perceptions about your organization and industry are
you not addressing?
Evaluate the Implications of the Blind Spots
Ask yourself these questions about your blind spots:
• Which blind spots are in areas where your organization's
actions can improve or worsen your situation?
• What actions are needed to gain the most benefit or avoid
the most harm?
• When are actions needed to be most effective?
• What is the minimum evidence you need to know that
immediate action is needed?
Copyright 2007 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved
----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of six books including The 2,000 Percent Squared
Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The 2,000 Percent
Solution Workbook. Free advice on accomplishing 20 times
more is available to you by registering at
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