Skill 1: Spotting the need to change
But they were so focused on protecting their position in this market, they failed to spot how phones were becoming the next computer platform. They failed to update their assumptions about what a phone was and could become. This left a space in the market for Google to step in with their Android Operating Software for all phones except iPhones. We absolutely can update our assumptions by applying skilled analytical thinking. First surfacing the assumptions we are making and then evaluating if they are still useful. But doing so takes deliberate effort. In the rest of this section we will explain 3 tips to help improve your capacity to spot the need for change. “The issue is not that we make assumptions; we have to. The issue is we forget they are assumptions based on what is happening at a particular time.”
Trap: Operating from outdated assumptions
One of the marks of great sports people is their ability to ‘play what’s in front of them’. Staying present and situationally aware to make decisions based on what’s really happening, not what you hoped or expected would happen. When we’re open to what we don’t know, the human brain is very good at making sense of our environment. But once we’ve made sense of it, we tend to commit this mental ‘map of the world’ to autopilot as permanent facts. This ability to create mental maps of how our world works is incredibly useful in a stable environment, saving us a lot of energy by not having to reinvent our response each time we come across a similar situation. So the issue is not that we make assumptions, we have to. The issue is we forget they are assumptions based on what is happening at a particular time. Unfortunately, we are not nearly as good at revisiting these assumptions when circumstances change, meaning we are often slow to update our thinking. In the early 1970s, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, founders of Microsoft, spotted an opportunity to develop a universal operating software for all PCs. By the year 2000, they had 94% of the market.
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Adaptive Leadership : Building your capacity to thrive in a disruptive environment
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