Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Experts Get Stuck in Status Quo

When you are stuck in the status quo there are a lot of things you miss.  Opportunities are one of them.

If you are sure that there is no better way of going about doing what you are doing, then you will for sure miss Opportunities.

If you are an expert and you know that this certain way of doing things is the right way, then you will not see Opportunities for new ways to do things.

But if you give up your arrogance (come on, I am talking to myself) that “you know the best way to do it,” then you just might have a chance at seeing a great Opportunity right at your doorstep.

One of the best ways to discover Opportunities is to set Almost Impossible Goals that you have no idea how to accomplish.  By definition, once you set an Almost Impossible Goal then you need to search for an Opportunity on how to accomplish it.  And if you make a commitment to that goal, then you certainly won’t give up until you discover that new way.

This is what former GE CEO Jack Welch called Bullet Train Thinking.  He said that Japanese executives told their engineers that they wanted them to invent a train that would go from Tokyo to Osaka in three hours – instead of the six that it used to take.  There was no “tweeking” that would get them to three hours.  They had to invent an entirely new technology.

Don’t get stuck in incrementalist, status quo thinking.  Check here to learn more about Almost Impossible Goals and make even more of a Mission Impact.


For more ideas on how you can lead breakthroughs in your organization, follow this blog and check out my web site at www.SheehanNonprofitConsulting.com   You will find free resources you can download, including a Breakthrough Strategy Workbook that you can download at no cost.  You can also check out my book, Mission Impact:  Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits, and buy it if you are interested.  And you can follow Sheehan Nonprofit Consulting on Facebook.

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