The difference is mindset.
Look at Ken and Joe again.
Do you see the difference? The difference is in mindset.
Ken’s mindset is rigid and inflexible. He knows what he knows, and he fears and resists what he doesn’t.
Joe’s mindset is open to learning and growth.
When Ken’s out of his depth, he heads for shore.
When Joe’s out of his depth, he starts swimming.
Technical savvy isn’t necessary in a leader, but the right mindset is.
Here’s the thing: just like swimming, mindset can be learned.
Once you’ve learned a mindset, you can apply it to anything.
Especially when we’re talking about software.
But I’m sure you can see how Joe’s mindset will serve him well in many situations, not just warehouse inventory control.
You can also see how Ken’s mindset is self-limiting. He’ll probably never rise above his current position. And maybe that’s OK for Ken. He seems relatively happy where he’s at. So long as his company survives this downturn, he’s likely to remain comfortable and settled there!
But I suspect that, since you’ve read this far, that might not be good enough for you! 😄
If you’re interested in learning more about the mindset that Joe uses to innovate at his company, I have a free mini-course just for you.
This course is based on those decades of research done by the Standish Group that I mentioned.
Instead of you having to wade through hundreds of pages of PDFs, I’ve broken it down into seven emails over six days. (You even get the weekend off.)
The goal of this mini-course is to show you in greater detail the shape of Joe's innovator's mindset and how you can start applying it yourself.
- You'll learn how to look at your business imaginatively, even if you don't think you have an imagination.
- You'll learn how to break even the biggest problems down into small experiments and manage all the risks in small, easily digestible chunks.
- You'll learn how to make quick decisions, even for the thorniest, most complex problems.
Your leaders and your peers will be astonished at how quickly you're able to adapt to new challenges and overcome them, saving the business money in the long run.
Your people will look up to you with new respect when they see the practical results they're getting.
If you would like to learn how to be an effective sponsor of innovation at your company, all you have to do is sign up right here. There's no cost, no sales, just solutions.