“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge,” said the theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking.
Is much of business strategy, really an illusion? What can be learned from creativity wizard Rick Rubin? Should managers ditch their tight fitting restrictive corporate suits? What can an artist’s teach business about creating and capturing value – that is rarely noticed?
Problem is the confusion about an easy-to-do operational plan, and a delicate, often counter intuitive strategy. Quite simply: a plan is not a strategy.
Taking the path of least resistance, what many companies, NGOs and donors do is a lot of cut and paste, copying what the competition is doing, with a sprinkling of the latest fluffy business jargon. Trying to sound exotic, with the words: ‘AI enabled’ and ‘transformative’ thrown into the mix.
Inversion thinking involves flipping a problem on its head to find solutions. Instead of focusing on what you want to achieve, you identify what would lead to failure, then take steps to avoid negative outcomes. Dating back to the ancient Stoics, and popularised by investors like Charlie Munger, inversion thinking helps avoid mistakes, providing clarity.
Apply an inversion approach -- assume one wanted to ‘fail’, just creating a plan. Simply copy what the competition is doing, both overall, and in each of the business units. Or, use AI, get ChatGPT to do strategy, really a plan in five seconds. That’s the first step, now mix in some solid facts and figures diagnosis. Then ask, based on the initial analysis -- How can we be creative – imaginative -- perhaps taking a counter intuitive approach -- to capture profitable market share?
Be abnormal
Insightful strategy involves asking questions no one else is thinking about. It’s concrete analytical diagnosis -- hypothesis driven problem solving -- combined with ‘out of the box’ creativity. One has to be able notice patterns, to see differently. Don’t apply the same old stale worn out unthinking. Risk being abnormal.
“Some people say, ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, ‘If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, a faster horse!’ People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.” Steve Job’s said.
American music producer and creativity guru Rick Rubin says the same. “In service to the audience, they have to come last. If we're trying to make it for them, it will be a mess. It will be watered down. The process of making something for someone else undermines it. Many people approach art with a hidden agenda, the desire to be accepted. But when approval becomes the mission, the art loses its soul. The need for acceptance is also present in everyday life. What's ironic is that acceptance comes most naturally when we stop trying to please and simply allow ourselves to be who we are,” said Rubin.
Be authentic
In crafting a distinctive strategy, it helps to think like an artist or craftsperson. Dig down deep, be authentic.
“People like to be accepted. People want to be accepted. And I'm suggesting that the best way to be accepted is to be yourself. It's not to change yourself to what someone else thinks. First of all, you don't really know what someone else thinks. And if you're not genuine to yourself, there's nothing there. It's just a projection or a mask. It's not true. And there's something about authenticity,” advises Rubin.
We see what we want to see. A confirmation bias is often our default way of seeing. Managers tend to see the business landscape, not as it is, but more based on how they are feeling that day. Somehow, if only for a moment, one has to see without judging, evaluating. Just see what is there. Take off the trying to look cool sunglasses, notice what customers really value.
Is your antennae working?
It helps to be like an antennae, just picking up the signals, the market vibes.
“The only way we can learn anything is through the reality of seeing what's around us. And learning there are these different points of view around us. If we're all thinking the same thing, it's boring. Why would we make anything if everyone thinks the same thing? What makes us interesting are the differences. And even imperfections,” says Rubin.
“We can find solutions by simply being open to the influence of the outside world. It's helpful to know the information we need doesn't all come from inside of us. Maybe none of it comes from inside of us. Maybe it all comes from outside of us. And whether that be mystical, physical, or practical, I've had experiences where I'm looking for an answer for something curious, holding it lightly in my consciousness, not working on it, just I know there's this problem to be solved, and then I'll be out, and something will happen in the world directly related to answer the question. Doesn't happen once in a while, it happens all the time.
“If you're open to the communication, we're getting information all the time. There's so much more information coming at us than we can digest that we pick and choose unconsciously, certain data points, and then based on those data points, we make up a story about what happens.”
David J. Abbott is a director at aCatalyst Consulting.
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