Driving 210 km/h by looking in the rear-view mirror

Some things should not be experimented with.

6 Oct 2020 — 3 min read

Management team of a fast growing company asked me to help them resolve a dilemma around business experimentation. Much to my surprise their "conundrum" was if they should do it at all or not.

After some time of walking them through the facts that they have purely digital channels, no real customer interfaces, that their perceived traction is primarily based on the founder's ability to attract investments through personal connections, and their firm belief that their product is the next best thing after sliced bread, I've bluntly asked them:

Do you want to drive 210 km/h by looking solely in the rear-view mirror? Because that's what you are doing by throwing testing and experimentation out of the equation. You are so afraid of what the customer might say, that you've invited me to justify your decision, and feed your delusions.

The question—or more correctly, my follow up remark—wasn't received with a lot of gusto, and we cordially concluded the meeting. Less than a year later company was terminated, and one of the founders is being investigated for fraud. It turns out there really are some things we should not experiment with!

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When the going gets tough, our mental defense mechanisms kick-in, and throw us into fight-or-flight mode. Given how often innovation initiatives fail, why should any organisation invest in them right now? And if they dare to invest, what can they do in order to avoid regretting their decision? In this talk we will discuss some of the best practices when it comes to innovating in challenging times.

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