What would “going all in” look like?
The Change Question: What would “going all in” look like?
On my desk is a volume knob.
It’s there to remind me of this scene.
“You’re at 10 on your guitar, and where can you go from there? Nowhere.”
In Dan Heath’s pod episode last week he talked about “stacking resources” on the leverage points of change. (That’s a pretty bland sentence. He’s vastly more entertaining than I’ve made him sound.)
I thought I might get a little rock and roll, and reframe that as “going to 11.”
Or if Spinal Tap isn’t your thing, then perhaps “going all in.”
Hold nothing back
First, identify your leverage point, the place where effort will make a difference.
Then think about the resources you have. Here’s a list to start you off:
Time, people, money, attention, courage, relationships, favours owed, expertise within and without the team, leverage over, physical space, technology, reputation, credibility …
Then, imagine if you will …
Saying no to the other projects, and pulling resources away from them.
Putting all your people on this, rather than spreading them thin.
Leaving some fires to burn.
Not doing business as usual, as usual.
Spending all your budget.
Bringing in the very best expertise.
Cashing in reciprocity, and asking for favours owed.
Showing up with confidence and swagger.
It’s a little scary, isn’t it?
And probably madness to go all the way. Probably.
But perhaps a little less spreading your bets, CYA-ing, and timidness might be the play that will shake things up and make a difference.
But often, seeing and sharing what’s hard can bring its own measure of relief.
Pod Wisdom: What’s dwelling in the shadows?
Dr Jason Fox, from the Change Signal episode "Are You Blinded by the ‘Change Obvious'?":
"Many people fixate upon the shining obvious thing, the thing that everyone's talking. And when you fixate upon something that's shining bright, it means that it's harder to see what exists in the penumbra. Your eyes need to take more time to adjust to what is emerging elsewhere. Often the big shining thing means that we are blinded to, or at least miss, some of the adjacent opportunities. The wise and savvy amongst us have their acuity cast wide. We're paying attention to what is emerging. It's curiosity, it's empathy, it's attunement to weak signals, it's active sense making, it's comparing notes, it's epistemological humility … it's learning."
Listen to the full episode with Jason Fox now
Dr Jason Fox is author of How to Lead a Quest, one of my Change Signal Top Shelf books.
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The Last Word
“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence — it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”
~ Peter Drucker
