7 Ways to Find Your Breakthrough Moment
Breakthroughs are rare when you avoid where they happen.
#1. Breakthroughs happen when you accept ignorance.
You wouldn’t need a breakthrough if you already knew what to do.
Ignorance is the hinge where breakthrough swings. The perception of knowledge prevents breakthroughs.
- I don’t know. What do you think?
- I’m not sure. What could we try?
- My approach hasn’t worked. Who might offer new perspectives?
#2. Breakthroughs happen after you realize hard work isn’t working.
You tend to cling to the illusion that you know the answer. You row harder even though you’re slowly sinking. It’s painful, but necessary to yell, “This isn’t working.”
#3. Breakthroughs emerge when you stop trying to find them.
If you’re chasing the same old ideas, stop running.
Harvard University researcher and psychologist Shelley H. Carson, author of “Your Creative Brain,’’ says, “ … a distraction may provide the break you need to disengage from a fixation on the ineffective solution.’’ (Boston Globe)
- Take a shower.
- Play golf.
- Build a playhouse for the kids.
#4. Breakthroughs follow failure.
The path to breakthrough is paved with failure.
Only those who try and fail eventually find breakthroughs.
The need to succeed combined with fear of failure prevents breakthrough. Everyone who finds a breakthrough fails first.
- What could you try?
- What are you learning?
- What is failure or frustration teaching you not to do again?
Stop something old. Make room for something new.
#5. Breakthroughs happen when trying something radically different.
Forget about small course adjustments. Set a new destination. Run a low cost pilot program.
Don’t expect radically new behaviors to work perfectly. Expect to fail and learn.
#6. Breakthroughs happen around new people.
Novelty ignites creativity.
- Go to a foreign country.
- Meet new people.
- Make a new friend.
Bring in outsiders. Change often happens from the outside in.
#7. Breakthroughs happen when you try again.
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When have breakthroughs happened for you?
How might leaders find breakthroughs?
When have breakthroughs happened for you? Breakthroughs seem to come when least expected, opportunities present themselves, we just have to be all in or move on. In my lifetime it was going from a telephone company to and Electrical contractor, I saw opportunity to support my family, learn many facets of the Industrial, commercial electrical industry and broaden into fiber optics, Data cabling, cell towers etc.,the rest is history
How might leaders find breakthroughs? Send out applications to companies that interest you, perhaps they could use your expertise. Take new courses to enhance your offering’s, learn on a greater platform expanding your knowledge base in alternate facets of the business your in.
Take the leap to challenge yourself, the rest will fall into place.
Happy Friday Dan!.
Thanks Tim. Your comment brings courage to mind. We have to step into an opportunity in order to enjoy a breakthrough. It takes courage to let go of the present to reach for an unknown or uncertain future.
Happy Friday!
The picture/meme is worth a 1000 words! 🙂
Thanks Vicki. I’m up to 1,300 words on this post! 🙂
Just finished reading “A Whack on the Side of the Head” by Roger von Oech. Today’s post mirrors a number of the strategies von Oech suggests for helping to break current patterns and foster new / innovative / creative ideas and solutions. It’s hard to change your thinking, so be intentional about changing your circumstances. Look at things differently to help encourage your brain to identify new possible patterns.
Thanks Joel. I appreciate the reference to von Oech. I’m going to look up his book right now.
Happy Friday
Dan great subject and post. Working for a private company created several situations like this for me. The owner had a prized 110 foot sail boat that he thought was priceless but I could not find anyone, including Lloyds of London, to insure it for what he wanted. So I asked every so-called expert and boat surveying firm I could find until I got someone who was close. Then I choose not to tell the owner the exact final details! So asking a lot of questions, exploring totally new territories and then being satisfied that I did my best in a no win situation was a breakthrough moment for me.
Brad
Brad James, author The Business Zoo
Thanks Brad. Your addition of curiosity to this topic is profound. Lack of curiosity – questioning – prevents breakthroughs.
In my spiritual quest, I took some ministerial level classes. In one, I wrote my first sermon and it was on “I don’t know” as a spiritual axiom. “I don’t know” opens up our consciousness to be open to infinite possibilities. It is extremely empowering to surrender what no longer serves our best and highest good. Unfortunately, a common and prevalent battle cry of business is “never surrender,” BUT what if surrender is simply moving to the winning side?
Thanks Connie. You’re in good company when you bring surrender to the conversation. I remember Chip Bell & Marshall Goldsmith write about it in Manager as Mentor.
Great topic that we could explore more deeply.
Spot on Connie. If only we understand the ‘extreme power’ we can yield by surrendering.
Fear of failure as you mentioned can be a hinderence to breakthrough. Doing it afraid activates courage and opportunities for breakthrough.
Thanks Gerry. Yes…the only way to overcome fear is to “do it afraid.”
Embrace DOUBT,
as if an a priori for epiphany,
as if a lover,
a beautiful deception
bent on destiny.
Dear Dan,
Breakthroughs happen with right persistent hard efforts! You have missed on the courage and the risk-taking attitude. Also, innovation is the key to success.
My experience teaches me to have a good faith coupled with focused efforts. Moreover, making relevant preparations with positivity bring the best out of you to do things differently to achieve the set goals.
Very good ideas. I worked for a company once that valued putting people into relatively short duration roles outside their standard expertise – like moving a manager of HR into a business segment or a technical manager into a department that needed an infusion of data supported initiatives. It was always done very strategically to both grow the individual, but also so that he/she could take what they knew and learned into and back to the new and old departments. It was one of the more innovative and cross organizationally supportive company I have worked for.
Breakthrough comes through awareness. Awareness of what strengths and weaknesses you have and to what magnitude are those strengths being utilized and the weaknesses are being overcome.
I consider it a breakthrough when I manage to mend a relationship having friction. Again and again.
Breakthrough; in my opinion; can only come if one stops slacking and breaks the cycle of monotony.