The Strategy Paradox
Think back for a second or two about all those relationships that never worked out. At some point, you had to answer the question, "Do I want to give myself to this person?" It's such a difficult question. You have to project into the future based only on what little you know about a person. And here's the kicker: the point in any relationship when it is essential to ask that question happens during the "honeymoon" stage. It's when things are new and great and it seems like cupid is on your side. This is when you have to step back and decide whether someone is worth your devotion. That's a cruel paradox. It's almost as cruel as another paradox - not dissimilar to this relationship paradox - which managers face every day. The things that make great leaders are the same things that doom others. Managers have to make bold decisions based on visions they have of an unknown future. Ouch!
A very...um...close friend of mine recently told me how she deals with the relationship paradox. She said, "When someone shows you (consciously or subconsciously) who they are, believe it." Brilliant! So simple, yet so powerful. But what about the other paradox, The Strategy Paradox? How do we solve that one? I'll let Michael Raynor help you with this one.
My very good friend's (OK, you got me. She's my lady friend. I can't get anything past my very smart readers) way of dealing with the relationship paradox is brilliant because it helps reframe your state of mind. It helps you look past everything else in order to get to what really matters. It reshapes the question. This is basically what Michael Raynor does in the Strategy Paradox. He reshapes the way business decisions are evaluated.
Raynor basically tries to take the daredevilish nature out of leadership. Because managers are making enormous decisions about unknown futures, they cross their fingers, hope their right, and assume that they can deal with anything that comes up. The glorious managers guess right, but glory only falls on a very small few. Everyone else ruins an otherwise good resume. Because of this, most managers shy away from bold decisions and merely focus on survival. They don't do anything to be great because achieving greatness takes a willingness to be bold.
Enter Michael Raynor. Remember I said that the Strategy Paradox does what my lady friend did for the relationship paradox - it reframes. After years of research and case study and all that, Raynor formed a principle called Requisite Uncertainty that yields a slew of seemingly counter-intuitive findings. A couple of them are:
-The CEO should not drive results, but manage uncertainty.
-Business unit leaders should not focus on execution, but on making strategic choices.
-Line managers should not worry about strategic risk, but devote themselves to delivering on commitments.
You see how the questions are being reframed. Most of the time, with any decision in life, if you simply reframe your approach to a problem, it is much easier to solve. And it's not only easier; the blind risk seems to slip away too. If you don't believe me, ask Microsoft or Vivendi or Johnson & Johnson, all companies profiled in this book.
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