Only one of those columns builds a culture that consistently finds innovation:
When you look at the columns, resist the philosophical rabbit hole.
Think about your last three big conversations.
The board update.
The leadership offsite.
The all hands.
Did you talk more about “beating X, defending Y, crushing Z”
or about “what we are learning, what surprised us, where customers show us we’re still missing the mark”?
What’s the kind of conversation that follows each?
The first keeps everyone focused on the scorecard. In other words: execution.
The second keeps everyone focused on the problem you exist to solve. In other words: innovation.
Both matter. But only one reliably produces new ideas instead of faster or bigger versions of the old ones.
The biggest problem is that the left aligns the whole company on a path defined by what your competitors do.
Instead of what’s most useful for your customer.
So, back to your conversations.
Do your words signal that you’re trying to build …
… a company that wins races others define?
… or a company that discovers paths others never see?
Keep lighting the path,
Michael
PS: If you want to see the impact of this shift in practice, the current issue of What the Best Leaders Say takes a deep and nuanced look.
