How many times have you heard yourself, or someone you work with say this – “that doesn’t work in our business”?
You may have just joined a new company and when you suggest a way of approaching a situation, one of your new coworkers says, “That’s not the way we do it here.”
Or you are volunteering with a non-profit and suggest an approach to get new funding or secure a sponsorship, and the staff person says, “We are a non-profit, we don’t do it that way.”
Or better yet, “we tried that before and it didn’t work!”
Credit: Investopedia
Years ago, I learned the phrase “paradigm shift”. A paradigm (pronounced para-dime) shift is defined as a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions. At the time, it was a radical concept.
And, me and my company adopted it as our mantra when approaching selling consumers and clients new products or services. We had incredible success, as we did the unexpected.
Do you wonder why many companies, when hiring a new CEO or company leader, find someone from a different industry or market segment?
They aren’t doing it in a random way – they want a paradigm shift in thinking.
Recently I met an executive who now leads a retailer’s food division. She came from fashion retailing with a focus on analytics. She has never sold food before, and the company CEO recognized that a fresh set of eyes, with the consumer and analytics at the heart of driving decisions, had the potential to create better results.
Meanwhile, most of their competitors continue to be staffed with people who have only sold food. And many are “lifers” at their company.
This week, I met with a non-profit leader from the African continent. We discussed ways to raise money, and gain supporters in the post-USAID world.
Almost every idea I suggested was met with:
- That won’t work for us.
- We are a non-profit, not a corporation.
- We can’t afford to hire a full-time business development person as we don’t have the budget (this was my personal favorite, as it is counterintuitive).
If you want to grow your business or revenues, you shouldn’t wait until “you have the money” to do so, as this person is exactly what you need to GROW. If you wait, you will be in a continuous cycle of mediocrity.
So, next time you hear an idea that you haven’t tried before, instead of saying that won’t work, try saying “How can we make that work?”
And if you are the leader, your team will depend on you to allow out-of-the-box thinking. They will follow your lead. True leadership is demonstrated by parking your ego at the door and being willing to try new ideas. Don’t think failure – think experimentation.
Onward and upward,
Executive Coaching and Consulting for business CEOs, Owners and Presidents
If you are looking to grow your business or amplify your personal leadership skills, I would love to have a conversation with you. You can email me at [email protected] for a no obligation conversation.
