#49 Connecting the dots with Dr Christian Busch

“Through proactive decision-making, we can turn unplanned moments into positive outcomes and cultivate serendipity”

Is innovation the result of genius, and intentional design or rather the result of randomness, luck and being in the right place at the right time ?  

Is inclusion and connecting people a random and unpredictable activity ? 

We have all experienced first-hand during the pandemic that life is full of chance encounters and serendipity and Christian and I have a fun and insightful conversation on #connectingthedots differently. We talk about what this process could mean for innovation and business success, as well as for the human systems of an organisation. 

Framing uncertainty and unpredictability as an advantage is clearly at opposites with what we have learnt in existing binary and linear learning & leadership models, yet this hold the key to enabling the process of serendipity, reframing our attention, our intention and our courage and equipping leaders for the future. 

Christian shares his research, experience, insights and evocative stories of connecting the dots in life, business and society. 

The main insights you'll get from this episode are : 

- We have all experienced first-hand during the pandemic that life is full of chance encounters and serendipity. The most inspiring and purpose-driven people cultivate this serendipity and intuitively see opportunity in the unexpected.

-  It is turning this paradigm on its head that is so effective: we have to see and seize chance occurrences - they imbue meaning into unexpected events and often produce very positive outcomes.

-  Being lucky should be seen as an art and skill - the art of connection – and the mindset of feeling lucky may well make us lucky. But is there a science-based framework for this process? When innovators and inventors create, they spot and connect dots, and we can all learn how to create more dots.

-  So is this a skill or a mindset? Small behavioural shifts accelerate things, for example, the hook strategy to build relevant talking points into conversations to give others the inspiration or opportunity to find coincidences.

-  Leaders particularly often feel the need to prove that they are in control but the best way to build confidence is to give an approximate strategy and invite ideas of how to implement it – this legitimises the unexpected, and there is no threat to the authority of ideas. But the culture has to be strong enough to enable people to speak up and invest.

-  Old-school leadership with a rigid strategy does not allow for the unexpected and then change is seen as failure because the revision of a timeline makes a leader look weak. Informed leadership sets an ultimate goal with an approximate timeline that is adjusted to new information - learning builds trust for a leader and makes them look stronger.

-  Constraints for a serendipity mindset in a fast-paced delivery environment include self-limiting beliefs, bias and a fear of rejection and judgement; keeping a serendipity journal to document potential opportunities is a useful tool here as we consistently underestimate how likely the unexpected is, yet if we expect it, we will see it.

-  The collective memory of an organisation is critical: it has an idea of what is right or wrong but is often too entrenched or blinkered. Organisations should not brand themselves too narrowly but branch out - a flow of knowledge opens up new opportunities.

-       Multiple smaller ecosystems are better than non-reactive behemoths; microenterprises within a bigger company become investable entities and turn the company into more of a market, with employees able to fully invest in it and take responsibility.

-  We must exercise our serendipity muscles by seeing dots and cultivating a deliberately developmental practice. Less planning is advisable as real life isn’t predictable – this in turn increases trust, productivity and innovativeness, and provides a vocabulary for discussion.

-    Recommendations to leaders and organisations:

1.    Legitimise serendipity – tell personal stories and share a vision/sense of direction

2.    Integrate it into the organisation – incentivise and invest in new ideas

3.    Do the individual work – look at what is holding you back, overcome bias and reframe 

-  Serendipity is performative and about authenticity – we should look to develop an environment of trust by sharing and asking questions of each other: What do you like? What do you find interesting? This can lead to vulnerable and deeper conversations.

-  This analytical research is made mainstream and relatable; by scaling it up and pursuing co-creation, it can help everyone live a more purposeful and successful life.