A Life of Contradictions
Life is wrought with competing demands and crazy contradictions.
In business, an effective leader leverages those as opportunities to grow. How?
By adopting a paradox mindset. From thinking “either/or” to “both/and”!
Sounds simple. In practice it is a challenge but if you truly have that mindset, it can also be a game (to some!)! It’s strategic. It’s a rubik’s cube.
What Are We Talking About Here?
If you stop to think about it, growing a business means confronting competing demands and realities that seem at odds.
Top of list is the need for innovation and operational excellence. The need for stability and for constant change. Manage today, while preparing for tomorrow.
Even when thinking about leadership styles. Humility and confidence, -- inspire others to have confidence in you and your abilities and, yet, have enough awareness to know you can’t do it alone if you want to see your vision come to life. Or as I talked about in a recent post, being a relentless, demanding, high expectations leader that recognizes efforts and achievements and shows gratitude.
Or with your teams, control vs. empowerment something all founders struggle with as they transition to CEO. Collaboration vs competition.
And the list goes on and on.
Applying a Paradox Mindset
There aren’t easy answers. But this is where the magic happens, I think.
The important thing is to look at each reality individually – the positive and negatives on each extreme – the “poles”. Know what’s at stake.
Then find the connections and points of interdependence. The synergies, the overlaps, the ways they will play off of each other. Do you need one for the other? If you focus too hard or too long on one, the other will need attention.
Those intersections and interdependencies are not stagnant. The relationship between the tensions will shift, for example, when faced with new competition. The needs of the business shift. You may be focusing on operational efficiency, systems and processes, building in predictability, quality, streamlining, and cost-reductions because right now you need cash. This is where many businesses are as a result of COVID.
On the other hand, competition may be pushing you to spend on R&D and product design and you can afford to sacrifice some profit.
Within the organization, these tensions can cause internal conflict. Sales & marketing teams need a budget to reach acquire new customers and retain existing ones to grow revenue, while development needs money to create new products so you actually have something worth buying.
When it seems that resources are scarce there is a natural tendency to act in self-interest. To pick a side. The more senior you get, the better you need to be at taking in all the variables even those at odds and thinking creatively about opportunities and outcomes. If you can look at these challenges with an abundance mindset you will see that you can develop strategies and solutions that create more value and greater resources for all.
By: Stephanie Kelly
Why a Paradox Mindset?
Yes, people crave certainty. Clear direction helps us focus and prioritize. Ambiguity and seeming conflicts can create stress and anxiety.
However, if you can take the “both/and” approach to the contradictions you face, studies show it leads to better performance, greater innovation and flexibility. It leads to greater creativity and better problem-solving. If you look at both sides, take in the competing demands and perspectives and challenge yourself to find the “both/and” you will question assumptions you may not have in the past. You will uncover blindspots.
Think about the founder journey. At the beginning it’s a big idea and a little purse. Many founders will tell you how bootstrapping made their companies more innovative, scrappy, nimble, and productive.
On the other hand, there are countless examples of so-called Unicorns going public that have never been profitable. Venture capital dollars drove revenue growth, at all costs, surviving just until the next injection of cash.
Money doesn’t solve everything. Seeing these challenges as a puzzle to solve can be a great source if motivation. Who wants simple and easy?
The most effective leaders are those that question when they don’t see the conflicts and contradictions. When it seems easy and straight-forward. They seek to uncover and define the opposing realities to make the best decisions and create the most value.
We can all agree the last 10 months have been anything but certain. I imagine the coming months will continue to throw us a few curve balls. Look for the harmony among the tension.
