How to Find Your Breakthrough
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If you already know the answer, you’re not going anywhere.
I don’t think you can lead if you hate surprises. Leaders rise up during uncertainty and press through ambiguity; they embrace surprises. But how? Why?
The surprising truth is surprises
represent the path to breakthroughs.
Soren Kaplan thought he knew about giant leaps forward until he had his own. It happened in a surprising coffee shop in France where he’d taken his family to live while he worked and wrote his book on breakthroughs.
Kaplan says, “When I began this book, I thought I knew where big breakthroughs came from.” Not surprisingly when Soren told his publisher he wanted to write a book about surprises they told him, “Leaders don’t want to read about surprises. They don’t like them.”
Soren prevailed and the newly releases book Leapfrogging: Harnessing the Power of Surprise for Business Breakthroughs is the result.
“If things are entirely clear all the time it’s less likely you’ll have a breakthrough.” Soren Kaplan.
Kaplan told me dealing with the unknown – the feeling of lack of control – is essential to breaking through.
“We have a tendency to go back to the behavior that has given comfort in the past. We try to establish stability and certainty.” Soren Kaplan.
I’ve seen the tendency to run for comfort in my own life. We come to the place of uncomfortable uncertainty and turn around. Seeking comfort ends breaking through.
Kaplan suggests:
- Stop pretending you know when you don’t. Believing you know enough ends learning.
- Realize surprises challenge assumptions.
- Do something and learn. Research shows it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do something that aligns with values and seems right.
- Take the smallest step you can take that gives the biggest impact.
Where do breakthroughs come from?
How do you navigate the surprising world of surprises?
Dan-
The potential for breakthroughs are all around us if we pay attention.
As you have said, we do 0urselves and others the greatest disservice when we are pretending we know. We shut ourselves off from potentially valuable input and insights, and we shut other people down. And, like most other things in life, this posture is based on fear. Fear that we will not appear strong or smart enough. Fear that someone else may know the answer and get the credit. Fear that our own personal insecurities are real.
We grow best when we are open minded and available. The best leaders never stop learning from books and from the people around them.
Martina
Thank you Martina.
I love your list of fears that prevent breakthroughs. It’s both enlightening and challenging.
I appreciate your valuable contributions.
I very much appreciate the insights about fear, and agree wholeheartedly. If we can overcome (or at least set aside) our fears, we can become more open to finding and seeing surprises – which are all around us if we know how to look!
Thanks for an eye opening message, Dan. Kaplan’s thoughts regarding “If things are entirely clear all the time it’s less likely you’ll have a breakthrough.” are more than true these days. With the uncertainty many of us are facing during our country’s economic challenges, knowing that a surprise may actually be a growth opportunity is a rewarding thought!
Thank you Cliff.
It’s rewarding to offer a bit of encouragement. You have my best.
Good morning Dan. I just posted on a related topic. Sometimes, when there are no obvious answers, when what we know isn’t enough, then step into the unknown and move. It’s never easy but those are moments that provide great learning opportunities.
Thank you Laurie.
It seems so obvious that breakthroughs include something we don’t already know. I guess we better stop running from the thing that helps.
What a timely post for me. Thanks Dan AND Soren. Just this morning I sent an email to a writer friend listing all the things that were baffling me about my current project.
How nice to realize I’m not completely inept…just approaching a breakthrough. Hope springs anew.
Dauna Easley
Thank you Dauna.
“I’m not inept…just approaching a breakthrough” — Golden!!
Holy crap!!! This is EXACTLY what we were talking about this morning!!!! This is a secular writing, but it applies spiritually.
Thank you My.
Faith is an essential component of leadership. 🙂
Charting new courses, this can be where it really gets to be ‘fun’ working. ‘Course my definition of fun might be a bit askew.
Are we our most effective, most creative, work most productive and deliver the best service when we are really enjoying it…with what we know and all the mysteries that lie ahead? And even collectively, we know that we don’t know, but we do know more as a group. There are greater rewards of the shared journey into the unknown with lurking surprises, strengths are identified and strengthened, weaknesses are identified and able to be mitigated for future ventures, and the team develops Gumby-like flexibility to cope with things they never thought they could..aka breakthroughs. Those shared journeys into and through surprises, create amazingly strong bonds, reliance, trust and respect.
Thank you Doc.
I appreciate how you brought in the team dynamic. I love being part of a group that can tolerate ambiguity long enough to find new options. Rushing to judgement ends progress. 🙂
Glad you consistently share your insights.
Reblogged this on LEAD PRIDE.
Before and after doing something, spend time…listening…being alone, in silence for an extended period of time. Listen to that “still small voice.”
best…Jim
Thank you Jim.
I’ll spend some time thinking about your comment. 🙂
A lot of my breakthroughs comes from my synergy and congruency with the issue or problem I am trying to solve. Solutions often present themselves after a lot of the foundational work has been done. As I eat, breathe and sleep the issue I still find that significant breakthroughs only reveal themselves on the extra mile, thus not between 9 and 5.
I love good surprises, but I’ve got a knee-jerk reaction to wanting to hide from the bad ones. (Isn’t that always the way??)
I think Life has a way of making us very afraid, especially if we’ve taken risks before and they turned out to be more trouble than they were worth!
At least, that’s the way it’s been with me. But, step by step, I’m stepping out. Bring on the (POSITIVE) surprises!! 😀