Uncovering breakthroughs: Do you have a Discovery Mindset?
As business leaders, how do we approach developing strategy, refining value propositions, crafting marketing campaigns or seeking product innovation? Do we rely on conventional thinking or adopt a discovery mindset?
Conventional thinking leads to an optimisation mindset - basing decisions on what we already know and seeking marginal gains through operational efficiencies. But this will not spark breakthrough innovations or transformational change - those only come by exploring what we don't yet know. A discovery mindset opens up new possibilities by challenging previous assumptions, biases and norms. It's about asking questions without constraints to uncover fresh perspectives. Creativity and imagination can help but are not absolute necessities.
If any of the following have occurred recently the likelihood is you need to take a more fundamental discovery approach:
A new competitor has entered the market or an existing competitor releases significant new capabilities
Customer needs have shifted
Operational costs have changed dramatically (raw material, supply chain, regulatory etc.)
Customer complaints have increased significantly
So why don't more companies embrace this thinking? Our cognitive biases often prevent us from acknowledging the gaps in our knowledge, creating an illusion that we know more than we do. This hinders our ability to learn.
Here's an example of applying a discovery mindset to better understand the customer journey:
What triggers customers to seek a solution - what problem are they trying to solve?
What makes the situation painful or frustrating? What are they hoping to achieve?
Why is this important to them?
Where do they look for solutions and who do they consider as suppliers?
Who else is involved in selecting a supplier?
Why do customers choose you - what questions and concerns need addressing?
Discovery requires experimenting - testing hypotheses based on new learnings. Be prepared to fail often and learn from every failure. The dividends can fuel sustainable growth and reveal exciting opportunities.
If you're interested in developing and applying a discovery mindset, let's connect. I'm happy to share more thoughts and examples. Adopting this thinking can lead to game-changing innovations for your business.
A discovery mindset can uncover breakthrough actions and opportunities as it frees thinking from bias and constraints imposed by existing practices.