Non-Traditional Results

A friend of mine used to say that insanity was doing the same thing and expecting different results. Apparently, he got that from Albert Einstein.

Seth Godin reminded me of him today: “You've done it before, and before that and before that. A dozen or a hundred or perhaps a thousand times before...Why are we surprised, then, when the outcome is usually the same as well?”

There is safety in doing something the same way, especially if you feel the result is adequate.

Why change?

Mixing it up could make it worse.

But, a new approach could also leave you far better off.

Seth was talking about meetings. He felt focusing on differences could help you to approach the meeting from a fresh perspective and make it more productive.

But let’s go beyond meetings – what about people?

Do you hire the same kinds of people or people that are “proven” in a certain area?

Do you experiment with new vendors and suppliers?

Do you marginalize changes or try to capitalize on them?

If you’re looking for non-traditional results, try taking a non-traditional approach!

What’s the worst that could happen?

Could you fix it if it went wrong?

Comments

[ann michael]

All true - yet the point is that if we continue to do the same things with the same people - it's crazy to think we'll get a different result. If we want a different result something has to give!!!

Helen - I love your point about responsibility - in the end we're accountable for our decisions and actions!!

[Helen]

True. Different situations require different actions. Our only problem it identifying the right thing to do.
Our decisions come differently and choosing is our responsibility whatever the outcome.

[ann michael]

Hi Howie!

That's the tough (and fun) part about life - isn't it!? Different situations require different actions and our job is to figure out what to do when!

Ann

[Howie]

Nice post. It clearly shows that insanity in viewed differently in different situations. It could be good in doing our routines and bad in doing an experiment. Thanks for sharing.

[ann michael]

Hello Charlie!

Safety is a funny thing, though! I agree with you that people feel safe but the reality is that feeling may or may not be warranted.

It can be more risky not to try a different approach. For example, in media right now it's much more dangerous to keep doing what you've been doing the last several decades than it is to change.

Another interesting approach is when companies want to do something different, but try to accomplish that with all the same people and processes.

Thanks for your thoughts!
Ann

[Charlie]

I agree. It's our instinct to be safe. If doing the same thing and expecting the same result is making us feel safe, then it's an option for us unless we don't want our lives to change.