Mindset: The missing ingredient for Breakthrough Growth

Every year, without fail, companies around the globe convene in boardrooms, fuelled by too much coffee and food they regret eating, the promise of breakthrough success. The atmosphere is charged with big thinking and boldness, as teams engage in creativity exercises and design thinking, all in the pursuit of those coveted double-digit growth figures. It's a marathon of brainstorming sessions, where BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) are the order of the day. A bad gut, strained eyes, and the ever-threatening migraine just on the horizon.

But pause for a moment and consider the outcomes of these marathon sessions. Often, the brilliant ideas - those blinding glimpses of the obvious - remain just that: glimpses. The reality is that many of the initiatives conceived in that room either never see the light of day or are pursued with only a half-hearted commitment. Accountability becomes a rare commodity, and the grand plans slowly fizzle out, leaving teams grappling with a sense of unfulfilled potential and looking to shed the 5 pounds they gained.

This brings us to a critical realization: the missing ingredient in the recipe for breakthrough success is, in fact, a *breakthrough*. It sounds simple, yet it's a concept that many fail to grasp. As the saying often misattributed to Einstein goes, "You can't solve your problems with the same mind that created them." The essence of a step-change lies in the ability to rewire collective thinking, to foster a mindset that PRECEDES strategy, as emphasized by Adam Morgan in his discourse on Challenger Branding.

Indeed, it seems that mindset, rather than a list of brilliant-sounding ideas, holds the key to transformative growth. It's a perspective that aligns well with the truism that "Culture eats strategy for breakfast," underscoring the notion that a shift in mindset can be a potent catalyst for change, capable of steering companies towards paths less trodden, towards genuine innovation and success.

So, as we stand on the cusp of another round of annual planning, perhaps it's time to reconsider our approach. Instead of focusing solely on the generation of great ideas, let's turn our attention inward, to the very foundations of our thinking. Let's cultivate a mindset that embraces the unknown, that is willing to challenge the status quo and venture into uncharted territory.

Maybe what you need is not more great ideas. Or another team-building session (although they are great). You might just need to reset the very foundation from which your collective thinking arises.

I think so. That's why I created the FLOW workshop.