As a child at the age of three years old, I saw hens sitting on the eggs and later on the eggs hatching into chicks. I decided to place my dad’s car keys with the eggs hoping that it would hatch into my own car. That did not happen, and my dad had to take the bus to the office for 4 days after failing to find his car keys, after turning the house upside down trying to find them. They were only able to solve the puzzle after they noticed that I kept on hanging around the not so friendly mother hen. I did try to plant a double decker toy bus at 9 years but that did not yield any results either and that was the end of my experiment with trying to hatch or grow a car. This interest in experimenting did surface later as I chose to do subjects that involved work in the laboratory and mixing all sorts of chemicals.
This year of pandemic caused a shift and change in plans that had been made for the year. The leaders in different organizations had to start experimenting with different ideas and strategies to keep their organizations moving forward in period of uncertainty. The business landscape also shifted before their eyes and this affected all the sectors of society.
As people especially leaders toy with experimentation, there are a few skills and practices that can help it create a better chance to yield positive results. Some of these include
- Failure is a part of the process – Embrace failure and create a culture around safe-to-fail experimentation where small failures are analyzed without apprehension and the groups learnings serve only in conceiving the next iteration. The main purpose is to learn quickly about what works or doesn’t work.
- Iterate more – Keep the experiments required small, shorten the timelines, assess assumptions and build momentum.
- Avoid reactivity – Leaders sometimes display reactive behaviors when they are faced with uncertainty. They need to keep calm and be methodical in their approach.
Operating as an experimental leader will help engage the ideas and thinking of all the people in the organization. It also helps create space for safe-to-fail experimentation, iteration, and change that are very relevant for todays shifting business climate and world.