Adaptive Strategies Blog

Last week I posted a comment about the Prepared Mind skill of Challenging. This week it’s about the need to improve our skill of Observing.

We admire those who are prepared for their future and wonder about those who plead “surprise” or try the tabloid defense of “I didn’t know.” Ignorance may be a defense in court – but what does that say about the person? Isn’t it the job of leaders to pay attention? Isn’t that something that’s required of all of us who are trying to get ahead in the era of accelerating change?

In the old days of the Soviet/American Cold War, the military recognized that getting surprised by Soviet bombers was not a good thing (to put it mildly) so we constructed the DEW (distant early warning) Line of radar sites along the northern horizon. The intent was to see danger as early as possible. Likewise, no one, not the CEO or the new data entry clerk, should be in the position of being surprised.

However, we don’t have the time or the bandwidth to notice everything. You can’t pay attention to everything!

So, one question you should ponder is that of “What worries you?”

We built the DEW Line because we were worried about the Soviets. We watch our cholesterol because we’re worried about heart disease. We watch “leading indicators” because we worry about the economy. So what should trigger your attention if it hits the edge of your mental radar screen?

What else should be on your “to be observed” checklist?

Well, think about all of the assumptions that are the foundation of our personal and business plans. Assumptions are great mental shortcuts; but they tend to degrade without warning. What assumptions did GM use until they found themselves in bankruptcy court?

You may assume that you and your department are valuable and necessary to the running of the organization in which you work. And, therefore, you maintain the status quo; just doing your job day-in and day-out. However, the current trend of outsourcing, sending knowledge jobs to China or India, should awaken you to observe specific trends in your industry. The bottom line is that you need to consider which of your assumptions are most important to your longevity and future success. Bring them into the open and watch them.

OK, so we need to observe those things that might put us at risk. How about the proverbial “flip side” of the coin? Where does opportunity lie? What was it that Toyota saw in 1993 that caused them to start the process that created the Prius hybrid? Why design, engineer and build a hybrid car when there was absolutely NO mass market? Simply put, Toyota saw the convergence of rising oil prices, and a rising world middle-class economy, and a citizenry concern for ecology. There was no market data to prove them right – only thinking driven by edge-of-the-screen observation.

Where are the opportunities waiting for your observations? And how do you prepare yourself to take advantage of them?

Ask yourself this question: “What can’t be done today that, if it could, would change your career or your company for the better?”

Can you see people in other disciplines, or companies, or industries that have already addressed your “impossibility?” You won’t know until you look and you won’t look until you decide to really observe the world around you.

You see, it all starts with intention. You won’t see the edge of your mental radar screen until you take the time to look.

Tell me what you see.

I conduct workshops focused on critical and strategic thinking and my definition of “strategic thinking” is pretty simple — think well about the future. And to get people to consider the future I ask them about their mental radar screen. Visualize a radar screen and consider three zones.

In the middle of your radar screen is your Reaction Zone. This is the mix of all the usual stuff (mostly out of your control) that consumes your day (like meetings, e-mail, customer complaints, etc.) It’s the stuff that hits you and you and to which you have to react. In today’s economy, a lot of people are spending all of their time in the Reaction Zone thinking about current problems.

Go out a bit further on your mental radar screen and you come to the Adaptation Zone. What you see here (if you look) is stuff that you had better do something about before it becomes a problem.  It’s usually pretty clear and you have some time, so don’t waste it. For example, as the economy turns around (as it always has) how will you sell to a more “discriminating” buyer? Or how will you appeal to the Y-generation and their heightened social consciousness?

Finally, look at the edge of the radar screen and look into the Anticipation Zone. What are the clues you see that portend a new future for you or your organization? This stuff is NOT clear and requires a bit a squinting to see a possible new future. Think about a hospital and the Anticipation Zone. What does personal medical records + Internet + reduced insurance benefits equal? I see both the incentive and the capability to “shop for value” becoming BIG. What do you see?

OK, here’s the bottom line. We have to look at the whole radar screen often. We have to react AND adapt AND anticipate if we are to succeed. This goes for businesses and for individuals.

What’s on your radar screen and what are you doing about it? Most importantly, do you pay attention to the edge?