Opinions expressed by ukbusinessupdates.com contributors are their own.
I am a disruptive leader by nature – someone who not only embraces change, but thrives in it and drives innovation and transformation. I love to push boundaries and surprise people with bold decisions that change our company and our industry. It feels exciting to see your strategic vision and hard work pay off as your business moves and follows the industry. But it can also be exhausting and even harmful if you don’t understand the real impact of your decisions.
Growing StoneAge from a small traditional manufacturing company selling high-pressure waterjet tools to a leading automation and robotics company has made good and bad decisions as we disrupted ourselves and the markets we serve. Changing how people think and work is difficult and always takes longer than people think. I pushed too hard, made decisions too quickly and intimidated people with our tough approach on my mission to change our company, the industry and the world.
As we begin our next phase of disruption, I’ll take what I’ve learned over the past decade and apply the lessons to our approach — and below I’ll share those lessons with you:
Related: 3 Steps to Create a Disruptive Mindset
1. Disruption requires planning and careful decision-making
I tend to underestimate the effort and planning required to make a disruptive change. When we decided to change our sales model from distribution to direct (which was very disruptive to our niche industry), we started executing in less than eight weeks of making the decision. While the industry was surprised and took a while for them to respond, I didn’t fully prepare my team for the effort either. We pulled it off with brute force, but it was much harder and more expensive than it needed to be. I have learned that a clearly articulated vision and a well-executed plan put much less strain on the organization. We are now operating from a 2030 vision and a well-organized plan that keeps us on track and allows us to be flexible as we learn and grow.
2. Acknowledge uncertainty and risk
It can be challenging for leaders to say, “I don’t have all the answers,” but the truth is, we don’t have them. Disruptive leaders have a vision of what can be, but there is no way to guarantee results. Instead of pretending that the road ahead will be smooth, admit your team that there will be challenges, mistakes, and maybe even turmoil as you move toward disruption. Admit the business needs to run when new challenges arise (ahem, Covid), and share with them how the business will tackle it by making good decisions, staying focused on problem solving, and being agile and curious.
Related: Why Amazon and Jeff Bezos Are So Successful at Disruption?
3. Be transparent and honest
When we changed our business model from distribution to direct selling, we moved fast and we didn’t want anyone in the industry to get wind of what we were doing. So, the executive management team holed up in a conference room called “The War Room” and mapped out our game plan. We decided to lock the door at night so no one could come in and see our whiteboards full of ideas and decisions. We told our employees that this was a top secret and that we wouldn’t share the plan until we figured it out.
The lack of transparency was a departure from how we usually do things. We are an open book company and share our financial data and strategy with everyone in the company. The lack of transparency scared people and people felt left out and in the dark. A few months later, in an employee survey, someone described feeling like a mushroom, being left in the dark and being fed poop. Don’t let this happen. Be transparent and honest with your people. You ask them to do difficult things because disruption is not easy. Honor them by telling them the truth and trusting that they will help you realize your vision and plan.
4. Seeds take time to grow
It’s a challenge to be patient, and if you underestimate how long it takes to change a business or industry, you may not grow the seeds you’ve planted. I’ve made this mistake in the past, changing direction when I didn’t see immediate results, and had to slow down and go back to get the business back on track. We are working in line with our Vision for 2030, now looking to the long term and being more patient as we innovate. The results are remarkable; not only are we disrupting the industry, but we’re also having a lot more fun doing it. People are aligned and clear about our mission. They can see the results, making them feel part of something bigger than themselves. The seeds have germinated and are developing buds, and we are nurturing the next stage of growth.
Related: 6 Traits of an Innovative Leader
5. Embrace the Paradox of Change
The Paradoxical theory of change states that the more you try to change by being something you are not, the more you stay where you are. Organizations are the same. If you want to disrupt yourself, your business and your industry, don’t forget who you are at the core. Stay true to your company values and your vision. Change happens when you build on who you are as a company, not when you try to become a completely different company. At my company, we use our 2030 Vision and what we call the ‘Recipe for Success’, our core business principles, to guide us in assessing new opportunities or considering new strategic initiatives, while staying true to who we are as a company. This pays off; we can see where we want to go and are confident to get there because we know who we are.
What excites me most as I continue to grow as a disruptive leader is the balance I find between long-term planning and living in the moment. The thrill of making an impact can take over your life, but if you only live in the future, it’s not easy to enjoy the present. The goal is to find the right place to both be present and enjoy the moment while preparing yourself and your company for success in the future.
