For the past few weeks, I’ve talked about three lenses that go into my “magic kaleidoscope.”  Today, we’re diving in to putting it to use.

For me, the three lenses in the kaleidoscope help diagnose underlying causes…and help me shift onto a more productive pathway.  Today’s diagnostic situation deals with those situations where you feel like a pinball – constantly moving, constantly changing direction…and really getting nowhere.

We keep changing direction (strategy, tactics, personnel, procedures, systems, etc.). There’s a lot of movement…but no momentum.

Changing direction is not a bad thing.  There are even situations where continuously changing direction isn’t a bad thing.  If you’re literally dodging bullets, changing direction constantly is probably a very good thing!  The underlying concern is the why.  Why are you changing direction?  If it’s to dodge a bullet – literally or figuratively – then why are you putting yourself in a position where you’re intersecting with bullets?

If you feel like you’re changing direction too much, ask yourself these questions.

• How often do I change direction?
• How disruptive is that change in direction?
• What are the costs – obvious and hidden – of the change in direction?

How often do I change direction?

There are two unwritten-but-critical words assumed in that question.  They are “significant” and “unplanned.”  So when you hear yourself asking this question, hear it like this: “How often do I make an unplanned, significant change in direction?

On my daily commute, there are many significant changes of direction.  Every one of them is planned and intentional.  I am aware that every turn is coming.  Those aren’t the kinds of significant changes in direction that we’re talking about here.

An accident that plugs up the interstate and causes me to detour down a country road…that’s a “significant change in direction.”  It’s unplanned, and it’s taking me off course from my plan to reach the target.  On the other hand, a shopping cart in the middle of the road will cause me to make a sudden, unplanned change in direction…and still not significantly veer off course.

Another way to ask this question is, “How often do I significantly deviate from – or toss out entirely – my long-term plan?”

Those deviations and tossings cause disruption in what is an otherwise smooth operation.  Disruption is the underlying concern.

Strategic Disruption

In the startup I’ve mentioned before, we changed the product roadmap several times over the course of a year.  However, we didn’t do it on a whim.  We did it based on feedback from trusted advisors and partners.  There were a couple of key things that we wrestled with, because in our minds initially, they were capstones of the product.  But it turned out that the market didn’t care about those things.  They wanted the features we thought were marginal at best.  And we deviated from our original plan.  Not on a whim, but based on feedback, based on things seen through the Lens of Communications and Visibility, based on results.  We intentionally injected a disruption…strategically.

Which leads me to the next question….

How disruptive is that change in direction?

Change doesn’t have to be disruptive.  However, unplanned and significant change typically is.  Disruption matters because it detracts from achieving your purpose.  Actually, it detracts from your concentration and momentum on your current course.  And assuming you’re on course to achieve your purpose, disruption detracts from achieving your purpose.  Disruption is neither good nor bad…it just is.  The trouble in disruption is the cost.

The disruptions we injected into the startup were significant.  When we started, it was frequent and significant – every day.  That caused us to spin our wheels, expend a lot of energy, and get nowhere.  In some respects, we felt like pinballs – always moving, shifting when we encountered obstacles…and ultimately getting nowhere.  Later, the disruptions we injected were purposeful, intentional.  Yes, we lost momentum on feature A, and we gained momentum on feature B.  The key difference was that those choices were based on feedback – based on what we observed through the Lens of Communications and Visibility from customers.

What are the costs – obvious and hidden – of the change in direction?

I recall being on a flight from San Antonio, Texas to Denver, Colorado.  I refer to this flight as the flight from San Antonio, Texas to Denichitawver, Coloransas.  As we were approaching Denver, we hit turbulence.  I’ve been through turbulence before and it didn’t really affect me.  This time, however, it was so rough and so long, I joked to the stewardess, “Hey, a flight, a massage, and a chiropractic adjustment…all in one!” 

We circled Denver for a while, and then diverted to Wichita, Kansas before we ran out of fuel.  On the ground in Wichita, we learned that the Denver airport had been closed to incoming flights for several hours due to a weather event.  That was headed east.  Toward Wichita.  Having refueled, and learning that the Denver airport was open, we took off, went through a little turbulence, and landed safely in Denver.

That flight was an experience in an unplanned, significant change in direction.  Some passengers handled it well.  Others did not.  From my perspective, the difference in how people responded to the unplanned, significant disruption revolves around the cost.  Those costs were both obvious and hidden.  Responses to those costs indicated how well prepared people were to absorb them. 

Most of those costs were around time and money.  Judging by how hostile some passengers were, it’s a good assumption that they had neither time nor monetary reserves.  It’s as if they budgeted to the very second and penny and left no margin for circumstance.  When circumstances warranted a significant change in direction, they were unprepared to deal with it, to absorb the cost.  Their behavior seemed to indicate they believed Southwest Airlines had control over the weather event and deliberately disrupted their lives.

Disruption happens, and it costs.  Expect it and be prepared.  That said, be aware of the costs you’re incurring when you intentionally cause disruption.  Be mindful of what it’s doing to your reserves.