Don't evolve in isolation

One of the joys of my role is going in and out of different organisations, seeing the different sales environments and learning what works in that particular line of business.

Everyone is different – but with similar themes. It’s a bit like an Attenborough documentary in that you know what you might expect to encounter but sometimes when you look deeper you find things have evolved in a unique way.

On the Galapagos islands things evolved in their own unique way because there were no other inputs. Certain species thrived with nothing to influence their evolution – no unusual climactic conditions or crucially any outside forces.

And so it can be in some organisations. With no other frames of reference things carry on as they are. This is how we do things around here, its how we have always done things. Like those bizarre family traditions that perpetuate.

If there is no outside thinking, a closed culture can be created making it too hard to adapt when outside factors start to influence. We live in fast changing times but it is remarkable how many organisations have some extraordinarily long tenure, especially in senior positions. These are personnel who may have been in organisations 20 or 25 years, working their way up who undoubtedly have a huge value. But only if their wealth of experience can be contrasted with others who have different experience.

I’m not advocating a cull of experience - in fact we are entering a period where many of us will work longer as our health endures, more suggesting we value more the challenge of embracing outside forces to prevent your business failing to evolve.

It is always easier to stay the same, to resist change and carry on – but it is only by changing that we move forward. We all know this but breaking any habit is hard.

So two thoughts

1, Be sure to welcome wholly new personnel into an established team and genuinely seek to understand their different viewpoints. Set up honest check ins down the line and approach with an open mind.

2, Make time to grow and develop through peering or mentoring programs. Attend events or industry groups to seek new knowledge and soak up alternate thinking.

I knew of one company who retained a long-standing member of staff on a few days a month as he approached retirement as the ‘director of ideas. While that might sound like something from the comedy W1A he was tasked with going and seeing how things worked in all sorts of other companies, from car production lines to sewage works, recycling plants to cake factories all so he could bring back new thinking.

So as hard as it is to welcome new influences into our islands of self-perpetuating thinking, we need to be open to new forces - they may just be suggesting the difficult changes that will allow business to evolve even though it is easier to carry on as is.