July 05, 2011

Innovators: It's OK to make new mistakes

You can't change the world if you don't make a few mistakes. 

Steve Jobs put it best: "Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes.  Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." His challenge is simple: Get out there and try stuff, even if it might backfire.  Sounds simple, but of course, Nice Smart People Succeed.

Here's a twist, the point of this post, and it comes from Billye (from Today We Are Rich): "It's OK to make mistakes, just make NEW ones."  That was her mantra to me, other people around town, anyone who had ambition and new ideas.  She's right too.   If you read the article Hanging Tough, you'll see that mistake-willing innovators historically rise to the top just beyond recessionary periods.  

When the economy goes south, paranoia reigns, and people stop taking chances.  You never get fired for batting 1000 is the new leadership battlecry and we settle into StatusQuo-Improvement/Preservation.  Only during boom times do we feel the (situational) confidence to throw caution to the wind and try something.  That's why so many companies get hammered when the bubble pops, they were last in on the innovation train and missed the run up completely.  They are the ones that look the worst during a correction. 

Because we fear making mistakes, we settle into an unhealthy habit of seeking perfection, perfect timing and group support (consensus) prior to any action.  This is a recipe for sitting on the sidelines and getting passed.  As one Facebook exec posted on his wall, "Done is better than perfect."     

As a leader, entrepreneur or innovator, you've got to develop a process for making new mistakes (Innovating). 

1 - Do your homework! If you have an idea, gather quality research and talk to people.  Create a prototype and offer it up for critique.  Create a plan with clear timelines, milestones and delegations.  

2 - Work your plan and gather steam.  Many ideas become mistakes because either the stitching is never finished (the details) or the Lone Ranger couldn't do it alone.  Always Be Recruiting others to join your project, based on mutual goals or needs. 

3 - When it's time to quit, end it quickly.  Don't hide behind email.  Face your boss, banker or team and be clear about your intentions, the reality of the execution and next steps, which are: 

4 - Do a thoughtful post-mortem, to document the Mistake's Lesson.  Think of it as a short book you'll write to benefit yourself, your team and the greater community.  You'll restate the perceived problem you were solving, the perspective you had about it, the plan's details and most importantly - what went wrong.  Include market, customers, team mates, technical issues and your role in the #fail.  Step back and ask yourself, "what will I never do again?" THEN "What will I always do again?"

5 - Delete the details, store the Lesson, get back to work.  Your part of the Innovator's Club now, and likely, one of your future Ideas will not be a mistake, it will be your greatest contribution. 

 

Posted at 10:15 AM in Business Effectiveness  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)  |  TrackBack (0)

Comments

Commentor

Good Article Tim,
Definitely failure is part of being successful. And innovators need to "Fail Fast to Win Big".

The mantra that I follow is "Fail-Learn-Modify -Reiterate". And if you reiterate enough, your initial idea will morph into something that is meaningful and can win big. But the problem with reiteration is that you might just dig yourself into a bigger hole and not realize.

So I recommend a three times iteration model for any ideas, and if by the end of third iteration the idea has not morphed into a successful innovation, it should be dropped.


Posted by: Jagan Nemani  |  July 08, 2011 at 10:14 AM

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