Black Hat Thinking
This Won't Work
“This won’t work because…” is a default, almost automatic classic response to change. It rapidly snuffs out any last vestiges of enthusiasm for whatever it is you’re trying to get done, big or small.
“This won’t work because…” is also a defence mechanism. It means admitting on some level that things aren’t as good as they could be. Some people can interpret that as “you’ve got it wrong”.
“Nice idea but…”
“But that means that we’ll need to change this other thing” (That might be a blessing in disguise.)
“Sure it worked for them but we’re different” (This is a symptom that you think your business is a special snowflake.)
Do you have a special snowflake business?
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking your business is a special snowflake. Yes, you have a unique combination of products and services that you deliver to your clients in a unique way that’s undeniably you and can’t be duplicated. But if you reach for your black hat as soon as you come across any idea that could help push your company forward you’ll stagnate.
“So and so tried this and it didn’t work for them”
Just because it didn't work for someone else doesn't automatically mean that it won't work for you. Of course there's no reason to try something over and over again to make sure that it doesn't work just to prove a point. But from the outside it can be hard to work out why an idea didn't work.
Maybe the idea was good but the execution wasn't all it could have been. Maybe they didn't have the resources they really needed. Maybe they simply underestimated how much it was going to cost and so the idea just wasn't profitable. Or maybe it was something completely out of their control.
Yes, absolutely identify and acknowledge the potential problems and the risks so that you can plan for them. But then turn the whole thing around.
The Antidote
“Mr and Mrs 'Yeah But…’ don’t get to play this game.”
David Allen
Start by asking:
How could we…?
- “How could we make this change?”
- “How could we take advantage of this opportunity?”
- “How could we use this idea to improve our next project for our client?”
- “How could we change how do this to stop this happening again?”
"How could we..?" opens the door to much more powerful, enlightening, and creative possiblities.