book.chapter Rethink rules, reshape business models

Accelerating worsens matters Rushing to get things done often backfires. When people focus solely on speed, the quality of work suffers. More mistakes happen, requiring fixes that take up time. Little errors crop up from poor communication. With everyone in a hurry, there’s no room for innovation or creativity. A wiser approach is to start small, perfect your business model, then expand. Trying to outgrow competitors too quickly leads to disastrous decisions from lack of time. As author gary hamel notes, investing faster than learning overdrives opportunities, resulting in expensive failures. Michael bloomberg cautions against growth euphoria. When growing rapidly, it’s tempting to accelerate further. But that’s when trouble strikes. Resist and slow down instead. Controlled, thoughtful growth centered on quality prevents waste, sparks creativity, and leads to sustainable success. The fastest route forward is rarely the best path. Great achievements require patience, not haste. By resisting rash decisions today, the foundations form for meeting larger goals tomorrow. Slowing boosts productivity We can accomplish more by delivering our efforts with passion and creativity rather than straining ourselves to the maximum capacity. Like olympic athletes who perform better at 90 percent effort than 110 percent, we should aim to work hard but smoothly rather than frantically. Pushing ourselves too hard leads to fatigue, mistakes, moodiness, declining quality, and lack of endurance when we really need it. The key is to work diligently but unhurriedly, focusing on doing excellent work rather than meeting unrealistic deadlines. Most people would benefit from slowing down a little, enabling them to produce higher quality output with less stress. Working at a measured pace allows us to enjoy the process while still being productive. The goal is working sustainably and contentedly, not burning ourselves out in a frenzied rush. Leverage strengths, not weaknesses Rather than spreading yourself thin trying to be well-rounded, identify your greatest talent and pour your energy into perfecting it. Lean into what energizes you. Building on strengths is enjoyable and plays to your natural abilities, catalyzing success and fulfillment. Celebrate how focusing on a specialty makes your business unique. Let partners handle everything else capably through outsourcing relationships. Management legend peter drucker advised building around strengths not weaknesses. Former charles schwab executive ellen dilsaver notes that lacking fatal flaws, excelling in innate strengths brings results and propels careers. Professional dynamter chairman bruce hubby says identifying and empowering strengths, not correcting weaknesses, motivates peak performance. Channeling strengths multiplies confidence, productivity and achievement. When you maximize what you uniquely do best, you unlock the greatest potential for satisfaction and contribution. Schedule daily thinking time You make an excellent point that when we are caught up in the busyness of daily tasks and demands, it can be very difficult to make space for new, innovative ideas to emerge. Carving out dedicated "time-outs" where we step back and allow our minds to wander freely is so important. I especially like your suggestion to leave communication devices behind during these breaks. Constant connectivity can lead to distraction and fragmented thinking - taking a tech break allows us to dive deeper into imagination and ideation. Getting physical exercise is another great way to activate creative thinking, as you mentioned. Activities like walking, running, or working out seem to stimulate connections in the brain. Allowing the conscious mind to focus on movement lets the subconscious play with ideas more freely. The quotes you included sum it up perfectly - making regular time for reflection and mind-wandering is key. As bianchi notes, without taking breaks we risk burning out, lowering morale, and blunting innovation. I love the shaw quote as well - by deliberately thinking and daydreaming, we fuel the problem-solving and ideas that can lead to breakthroughs. In the end, work will always be there waiting for us. But creativity won't happen on its own - we need to intentionally step off the treadmill and let our minds wander if we want to unlock our best thinking. The companies that encourage this type of space for employees are the ones most likely to thrive with fresh ideas. Does this perspective resonate with your own views on encouraging workplace creativity? I'm happy to discuss further. Use email to save time Email was intended to boost productivity, not drown us in a sea of unnecessary communication. It's time to regain control. Refuse to read anything merely copied to you—if it really matters, they'll send it directly. Craft terse emails, avoiding jokes or tangents. See nearby colleagues in person rather than emailing. Omit needless "thanks" and "oks" to reduce inbox clutter. Use subject line codes to flag truly urgent messages. Then disregard the rest. Love that delete key—the moment an email loses relevance or value, delete it. Remember that face time often trumps email for many situations. Email can save time, but only when used judiciously, not as an all-purpose crutch. Stay focused on your own priorities rather than getting sucked into the email vortex. Set boundaries and take back your time. Halve your meetings Meetings tend to drag on, wasting precious time. To address this, consider cutting standard meeting durations in half and holding them half as often. Though counterintuitive, this forces discipline around determining clear objectives beforehand and focusing discussion. It also frees up more time for thoughtful solo work. Still, balance is key - some topics do warrant extended debate. The core idea is to consciously minimize non-vital meetings to boost productivity. Experiment with standing meetings, barring latecomers, or skipping recurring sessions that have become mere habit. The goal is to spark innovation through meaningful dialogue while avoiding meeting overload. With intention, we can optimize gatherings to wrap up with energy to spare for family or hobbies. Get creative with meetings The most creative meetings happen in trusting, open environments that spark imagination. Consider off-site venues that inspire out-of-the-box thinking. Start with an icebreaker activity, however silly, to foster camaraderie. Welcome all ideas without judgment - don't criticize or settle on the first suggestion. Let concepts percolate naturally; breakthroughs often emerge while sleeping, commuting or exercising. Include people from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to strengthen innovations through varied perspectives. Allow plenty of time for concepts to evolve. As einstein observed, if an initial idea isn't somewhat absurd, it has little capacity for greatness. Embrace absurdity and give promising kernels time to mature into robust results. Keep documents concise Most organizations rely on outdated paperwork and processes. This excess documentation clogs productivity. To increase efficiency, take action by eliminating unused forms, consolidating duplicative systems, and streamlining essential information into easily digestible summaries. Store seldom-referenced resources offsite while decluttering active work areas. You will likely find the vast majority of archived material proves unnecessary over time. When consolidating key data, use clear headers and bullet points to concisely fit core content onto a single page. Supplemental background can be included as appendices if needed, but most readers will focus solely on key takeaways highlighted upfront. A focused, simplified approach keeps teams organized, aligned, and informed. Question everything like a novice Great ideas and opportunities are often right in front of us, yet our prior experiences can blind us to seeing them. To overcome this tendency, adopt a beginner's mindset - be curious, question assumptions, and view situations with fresh eyes. Novices in business regularly generate breakthrough concepts because they ask naive questions and are not constrained by industry traditions. When industries get reinvented, it's usually by outsiders with an unfettered perspective. You don't need to be a beginner to think like one. Imagine it's your first day on the job - what would you change? Have no sacred cows. Re-evaluate everything to ensure it adds value. With an open and flexible mindset, you may uncover innovative ways of doing business. The possibilities are endless for those who are willing to question the status quo. Don't use old assumptions Our assumptions often become self-fulfilling prophecies, causing us to only perceive or act according to what we presume. To uncover fresh opportunities, we must challenge outdated assumptions. Put your habitual assumptions on trial, testing if they still apply and forcing them to justify their place in your mindset. You may be amazed by how many things you do based solely on assumptions valid in other contexts or no longer applicable. For instance, when you make assumptions about people due to their jobs or body language, you dictate your entire attitude and communication style with them. This could cause you to miss out on great ideas. Never dismiss suggestions simply because someone lacks an educational or career background you respect. Assumptions narrow our vision. By updating our perspectives, we open ourselves to new possibilities. Do the complete opposite When everyone zigs, consider zagging. If the crowd is doing one thing, try the opposite. Lower prices when others raise them. Turn cost centers into profit centers. Write sections out of order. Counterintuitive, backwards ideas spark innovation. Reversing course reveals overlooked possibilities and solutions. Going against conventional wisdom starts momentum towards new opportunities. As ray evernham said, practice unconventional moves, do the unexpected, because no one will see it coming. Initial backwards ideas seem illogical until fleshed out. But they seed innovative thinking outside the status quo. Simply inverting the norm opens new vistas where others saw none. Defy instinct and the herd. Experiment backwards. You'll uncover innovations and fresh perspectives lost in the crowd. The road less traveled reveals the most. Create oddball combinations The latest consumer trend is bundled products and services that provide a one-stop solution aligned with shoppers' interests and lifestyles. This combines offerings from different industries to create an appealing, customized package. Yesterday's business thinking was to identify a niche, specialize, and do nothing else. Today's thinking is integration. For example, barbershops are resembling sports bars to attract serious fans. Umbrella makers are integrating flashlights so people can navigate dark, wet nights. Retailers are providing upscale discounts. The idea is to take your existing products and combine them with unusual complementary items and services, bringing together seeming opposites to innovate. When different things are brought together in new ways, the result can be greater than the sum of the parts. Consumers now like this bundled, lifestyle-tailored approach. Sell solutions, not products Rather than simply benchmarking against others in your field, cast your net wider for inspiration. Look beyond your industry's boundaries to identify novel ideas, potential partners, and fresh possibilities. The farther afield you explore, the more likely you'll encounter inventive concepts. To get ahead of the competition, integrate promising approaches from unrelated sectors that could be adapted to your context. For instance, a magazine might borrow an awards show concept from the film industry to establish its own recognizable event. Or you could partner with an outsourcing provider from a different domain to obtain valuable new services. Fundamentally, reinventing the wheel is often unnecessary when functional models exist elsewhere, ready to be customized and integrated into your business model. So don't just follow your industry leader and remain a follower. Scout more broadly for the next big innovation that could propel your organization into the future.