Three Smart Ways to Change Even Faster

Terence Mauri is a UK-based writer, thought-leader, speaker, mentor and global expert who helps business leaders innovate, adapt and succeed in the age of disruption in which massive yet hard-to-predict upheavals are expected. In this latest blog post, Terence gives insight into strategies for adapting to change faster – before a crisis forces you to.

We live in an age of wonder – cars that drive themselves, platforms that anticipate our needs, and robots capable of everything from advanced manufacturing to complex surgery. Automation, algorithms and AI are transforming not only business but also every facet of daily life. While many fear that robots will take their jobs, the rise of exponential technologies begs a bigger question: how do you continue to reinvent today while creating tomorrow?

Here are three smart strategies for adapting to change before a crisis forces you to:

Incentivise risk, failure and experimentation

Adobe’s Chief Strategist, Mark Randall, decided to build a company of innovators by introducing a program called Adobe Kickbox.  Companies talk a lot about the need to be more innovative but rarely make it part of their culture. It’s a bit like telling someone to smile and be happy when they’re not. And let’s face it, most offices have a better chance of making you feel sleepy than creative.

At Adobe, teams embrace the belief that experimenting, innovating and iterating aren’t buzzwords. Rather, they are a set of winning mindsets and behaviours that the whole company lives by. Adobe Kickbox is best described as innovation in a box. A red box contains everything an Adobe employee needs to turn an idea into reality, including a $1,000.00 prepaid credit card, checklists and the permission to get out of the building to run cheap experiments and learn. The transformation has been nothing short of extraordinary. What company wouldn’t want that?

Fail wisely and avoid ‘business as usual’

Failcon is one of the most popular conferences in Silicon Valley. Some of the best leaders on the planet get to share failures that hurt the most and what they learned from them. This reminds you that if you’re not failing sometimes, you’re probably not trying hard enough. Never waste a good mistake. Now more than ever, leaders must think and act like a disruptor. The death of so many iconic companies offers a timely reminder;

Start before you are ready and know that F.A.I.L means:

‘From Action I Learn’

Focus on “three-box” thinking

Three-box thinking is a smart way not to just survive but to thrive in the age of AI.

Box One (preservation) is about optimising the present and sustaining what’s great about your company. Industries with high barriers to entry and where the speed of unpredictable change is lower are more likely to remain in Box One. It’s easy to spend too much time directing resources and talent in Box One at the expense of Box Two and Box Three.

Box Two (destruction) is about selectively letting go of outdated ways of operating before it’s too late. This is the most difficult box to manage — or get trapped by a culture of wilful blindness. What false assumptions are you a prisoner to?

Box Three (creation) is about building the future. It requires big picture thinking, imagination and of course, fast execution skills. Elon Musk, Satya Nadella and Jeff Bezos are all Box Three thinkers. The best way to use three-box thinking is to make it an active part of your culture and live by it on a daily basis.

It takes brains, guts and heart to change before a crisis forces you to. Now is not the time to preserve the status quo. It’s time for action.

Click here to find out more about Terence Mauri and his speaking topics, or check Terence’s availability for your event or conference, give us a call on 0203 1377 353 or email us at enquiries@raisethebar.co.uk.