Imagine...
I’ve never heard so many predictions. Everyone’s talking (endlessly) about the new normal, but the most innovative and successful leaders and companies I’ve worked with haven’t just moved the needle on normal. It can’t just be about adjusting business-as-usual to fit what the changing world sends our way.
The great leaders have been the ones making the changes. They haven’t just thought outside-the-box, they’ve been willing to blow it up entirely with brave questions and bold ideas.
" ‘Hitting the Ceiling’ ” is that point in every business when you're going along, evolving, growing and then BAM! there is some revolution at the company, department, or individual level that prevents you from continuing to evolve,” says Monica Justice, an expert business advisor with 20+ years of experience leading some of the biggest and most successful digital media and e-commerce brands with wildly successful results. (More on Monica to come.) “I think just about every business is hitting the ceiling right now.”
Ok, I buy it, you say. Think big. Blow it all up. But how? I’m under huge pressure. The team is small, being paid less to do more. And we can’t get out of our own heads.
Not going to lie, It’s not easy. But those who do the work now have the best chance to stand out, make an impact, do the right things, and become beloved among consumers.
Here are a few ways to spark the kind of imaginative thinking you need right now:
Get a “blue sky” team together. Assemble a team of meaningfully diverse people in your org who are great with innovative ideas. Explain why they’ve been selected. This team has to include someone from leadership and someone who is a do-er and will hold them accountable. They should be held to a regular meeting — say every other week — and present monthly to management and the full organization. From there, assignments can be handed out to push the best thinking forward.
Survey customers. Engage a marketing/survey expert to do a lite survey of clients/customers. Even just some great anecdotes + insights will spark new thinking. Consider how findings can be played back to the whole org and ask for ideas from this session “no matter how crazy.”
Say yes. If you don’t say yes when you hear ideas, you’ll stop hearing them. You also will encourage a climate where people don’t want to collaborate to further anyone’s ideas except their own. There’s always a way to say yes. Ask that person to partner with someone who has a shared avenue of interest. Find a way to test the idea. Ask them to redirect it, consider another angle or look deeper.
Create a WFH Big-Idea-a-Thon. Like a hackathon, but not just for hacks. Freed thinking is one of the advantages of being out of the office. Make the most of it. Set the table - no idea is too “out there.” Create partner teams of different skills or encourage people to “hire” from among peers. Have teams present ideas on Zoom. Consider having a third party (say an angel investor who's also a friend) evaluate them and ask questions.
Lift the Lid. If you’ve gotten yourself stuck in a box, it helps to bring someone else in to lift the lid on it. HCC and our coaching partner Sally Marrer (a retail trailblazer and biz dev expert) have been doing 3 hour coaching sessions for businesses, designed to redirect thinking, ask penetrating questions, get you unstuck, and help create an action plan. (Email me for more info rachel@honorcodecreative.com)
Rethink the players. Monica Justice, a leader from my former days at Rue La La, has a consulting business called Allele that specializes in a process you may have heard of: EOS. She helps businesses rethink the way they work, and it includes a wholly fresh take on roles and skills. “It's so helpful to have someone on the outside to see things clearly and help you work out of a rut,” she says. “When I facilitate EOS sessions, one of the first things we work on together is the Accountability Chart. What I do often unearths ‘aha’ skills and passions that make people much stronger contributors and better able to collaborate fruitfully on new ideas. Leaders should be looking at their structure to determine how it may need to change given changing business dynamics and economic forces.”
Question everything. Instead of recreating the way it used to be as closely as possible, get yourself and your team in the habit of asking what could be. How it should be. A few questions to get you started:
What should the role of fashion be in the future? (Or food, or sports, or education, or…)
How can we have a human relationship with our consumer? What if our customer were a close friend who was feeling a little lost and confused. What would we want to say to them right now? This year?
What did we individually take the time to learn during this challenging moment. How can we as a business continue to educate and inform?
How are we treating all of our employees? Can we listen better to the people who work for us, respect our differences and different experiences, and advance diverse ideas? What do I need to sleep well at night as a person and a leader?
If our business is a person, do we like who this person is? Who do we want this person to be in the ideal world?
Ready to Lift the Lid? Want more questions to spark big thinking? Happy to help anytime. rachel@honorcodecreative.com (If you are a small business facing difficulties right now, such as layoffs, we can talk about donated services.) Also, we’ll be sharing lots of ideas on #IMAGINE over on instagram @honorcodecreative.com - hope you’ll follow along.