Monkey First - Marshmallow First?

How to determine a High-Quality Target you can run experiments with

Unlocking the Secrets of Innovation: Beyond Edison’s Lightbulb

Welcome, Innovators! Today, we're diving deep into the art of setting transformative targets for innovation. Inspired by Matt Ridley's enlightening read, "How Innovation Works" we explore the essence of innovation—not as a solitary breakthrough but as a collective emergence from numerous efforts and ideas. Ridley’s depiction of innovation as an arch built of many stones rather than a sudden invention challenges the myth of Edison as the sole inventor of the lightbulb. Instead, it highlights Edison's dedication to turning a bright idea into a viable, widespread technology.

Innovation Unveiled: Incremental Steps from Invention to Global Change

Ridley's narratives, from the lightbulb to the turbine-powered ship 'Turbinia,' showcase the power of visibility and the 'show don't tell' strategy in proving an innovation's worth. The journey from the drawing board to changing the world involves recognizing those incremental steps that transform an invention into innovation. Ridley's perspective encourages us to embrace a mindset of exploration and experimentation, where the path to solving grand challenges is not always clear but certainly achievable with persistence and creativity.

From Marshmallows to Moonshots: Building a Culture of Experimentation and The Role of Freedom

Build a tower build a team - TED Talk

Astro teller - “Monkey First” -

Learning from Tom Wujec's "marshmallow challenge" and Astro Teller's insights from Google's 'Moonshot Factory,' we see the importance of addressing the most challenging aspects of a problem first. This approach underlines the necessity of an experimentation-friendly environment where failing is just another step towards success. It’s about fostering a culture where innovative minds are free to test, learn, and iterate.

Matt Ridley's critique of nuclear energy's stagnation due to the "failure of the freedom to fail" serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of trial and error—or, as we prefer, experimentation. As innovators, our goal is to create environments where experimentation is not just tolerated but encouraged, enabling us to explore a myriad of solutions to complex problems.

Blending Freedom to Operate with Capturing Valuable Opportunity

What is missed by Ridley is the overlap between freedom and opportunity and the ability to experiment in ‘lucky areas’ by careful observation. To do this, we need to employ the thinking tool, circle of concern, circle of influence, circle of control.

We have freedom in our circle of control, limited freedom in our circle of influence, and a lack complete lack of freedom in the circle of concern. If you missed my chat with Dan Ward at the LNO fireside chat, you can jump to 10:42 to about 13:00

Navigating Innovation: Setting High-Quality Targets for Breakthrough Success

Setting High-Quality Targets (HQTs) involves scanning the horizon and identifying opportunities and challenges within our sphere of influence. Tools like the Competing Values Framework and PEST analysis can guide us in thinking around the problem, turning potential barriers into opportunities for innovation. Crafting a clear, compelling target is the first step toward actionable innovation. As we refine our targets and develop elevator pitches that answer the essential questions of feasibility, worthiness, and realism, remember: innovation is not just about solving problems but about solving the right problems in ways that were previously unimaginable.

Step 1: Watching the Weather

• Objective: Identify as many factors within the circle of concern as possible that could impact the success of the project. Utilize tools like the Competing Values Framework, PEST analysis, and Porter's Five Forces model.

• Time Allocation: 25 min total, 5 min setup, 20 min to ideate with a fixed # min per area (if 4 total areas) (chose only one framework above!) - Avoid complicated or overly involved ‘setup’ for how to succeed. Tell participants it is ok to be ‘confused’ or unsure if they are ‘doing it right’ - the goal is big, broad thinking, not to ‘out do’ anyone. Novelty is prized here, so look in corners and at things other people often skip over!

• Group Work: Divide the team into pairs. a minimal amount of delibration should take place as individuals ideate, with pairs being set to challenge each other and adhere to the rules but also to see what at least one other person is doing and encourage motivation. Goal: as a pair arrive at a many factors as possible, one idea per sticky note. Both groups should list potential impacts without judgment. With two coaches, one can monitor the whole group while the second pairs up with any one who is visibly struggling with the task to ‘see one’ in the presence of the coach.

Step 2: Clustering for Themes and Opportunities

• Objective: Cluster the identified factors into themes and reimagine barriers as opportunities or potential trends that might reverse.

• Time Allocation: 10 min

• Group Work: Reconvene as a full team to share findings and cluster similar factors into themes collaboratively. Use ‘Impact and Probability’ to discuss each factor. Strive to find 3 factors as a team that seem probable and of probable impact.

• Individual Work: Each team member reflects on the themes, considering how they personally perceive these opportunities and barriers. Individuals should choose one factor that the group doesn’t agree on as something for ‘them’ that they see as important for ‘robustness’ (i.e. unlikely but high impact in their perception)

Step 3: Crafting Your Target

• Objective: Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) targets individually.

• Time Allocation: 20 minutes for crafting, 20 minutes for sharing.

• Individual Work: Each team member independently crafts a SMART target, considering their role and the team's overall objectives. One should be from the trends the group selected, but refined to a ‘how to’ (overly specific). The second HQT should address the need for ‘robustness’ and address the trend/weather selected by the individual.

• Group Work: Pair up and share, choose the idea the pair likes the most, return to the full group for deliberation.

Step 4: Prioritizing

• Objective: Evaluate and prioritize the targets generated by each team member using a PICK chart.

• Time Allocation: 15 min

• Group Work: The team, along with coaches, reviews all proposed targets, evaluates them based on the PICK chart criteria, and collectively decides on the prioritization.

• Individual Reflection: No individual work here, as prioritization is a collective decision-making process.

Step 5: Refining (not usually a ‘during’ jumpstart task!)

• Objective: Refine the selected high-quality target(s) into a compelling 90-second elevator pitch that answers "Is it real?", "Can we win?", and "Is it worth doing?".

• Time Allocation: 2 hours (30 min for drafting pitch, 1 hour for sharing with 5 to 6 folks in 10 min contacts, 30 min for refining based on feedback)

• Group Work: In smaller groups, team members help each other refine their pitches during 30 min drafting, ensuring clarity, impact, and adherence to the three critical questions.

• Individual Work: Each team member drafts their own elevator pitch, then practices and refines it based on external to the group feedback.

• Group Work: any unexpected inputs to elevator pitches? Any new information that shifts the previous weather watching? What novelty emerged and ‘so what?’ - the group needs a place for these insights to be written down and viewed publicly.

Final Presentation

• Objective: Each team member presents their refined elevator pitch to the entire team and coaches.

• Time Allocation: 1 hour (allowing roughly 7-8 minutes per pitch, including feedback)

• Group Activity: This is a group activity where feedback is encouraged to ensure each pitch is compelling and meets the criteria.

Follow-Up

• Plan for Implementation: Based on the selected priorities and refined pitches, the team develops a plan for implementing the high-quality target(s). This would involve assigning roles, setting timelines, and determining resources required.

• Time Allocation: 2 hours for planning

• Group Work: The whole team collaborates on creating a detailed implementation plan, with coaches providing guidance on strategy, resource allocation, and risk management.

A Personal Anecdote:
I really did use this tool to ask how I might better manage my energy, and ran experiments in my personal life to see what levers I had that would best boost it.  It turns out that getting enough sleep (rather than diet or exercise was my critical factor) - the unexpected result of experimenation was that in order to achieve my energy goals, the most effective (and definitely counter-intuitive) strategy was "Stop using an alarm clock."  However the immediate results on my energy levels were apparent and long lasting.  Since 2013 I have used alarm clocks as a last resort (yes, even when traveling and hosting workshops with 0800 start times!). In order to achieve the 'no alarm clock' goal, I had to exercise, eat right and go to bed (no screens before bed etc.) so that I could reliably FALL ASLEEP.  What I was missing out on was the impact of all of these behaviours on my ability to feel tired, once I realized this and did the work, my energy levels stopped being a problem entirely, and I had solved the root cause, and not attacked a symptom.  Again, these were within my circle of control, and some innovations are only in your circle of influence... at the time I developed these behaviors I was also single, and there was some non-zero pressure from among my family who was keen to see me find a partner and 'settle down' perhaps, that my lack of TV, somewhat aesthetic stylings were repellant to the 'typical' partner.  None the less, I persisted in my habits and thankfully found a partner who was mutually interested in a lack of screens and a commitment to personal energy management!

Lets see how to recap this story using our steps,

Step 1: Watching the Weather

• Objective: Identified the need to manage personal energy better and considered various factors like diet, exercise, and sleep that could impact energy levels.

• Reflection: Initially, focused on broad elements that could influence energy without pre-judging their effectiveness, similar to identifying factors within the circle of concern.

Step 2: Clustering for Themes and Opportunities

• Realization: Through experimentation, discovered that sleep was the critical factor, rather than diet or exercise. This insight was grouped under a theme of effective and counter-intuitive strategies for energy management.

• Opportunity: Identified the unconventional approach of eliminating the use of an alarm clock to improve sleep quality and, consequently, energy levels.

Step 3: Crafting Your Target

• SMART Goal: To achieve better energy management by ensuring sufficient sleep without the use of an alarm clock.

• Strategy: Implemented lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, a healthy diet, and avoiding screens before bed to facilitate natural sleep patterns and ensure timely rest.

Step 4: Prioritizing

• Focus: Prioritized the goal of improving sleep quality over other factors like diet and exercise, recognizing it as the lever with the most significant impact on energy levels.

• Implementation: Adopted a holistic approach to lifestyle changes necessary to support the primary goal of enhancing sleep quality.

Step 5: Refining

• Outcome: The strategy led to apparent and lasting improvements in energy levels, confirming the effectiveness of the chosen approach.

• Adaptation: Despite potential social pressures and the unconventional nature of the strategy, remained committed to the lifestyle changes necessary to achieve the goal.

• Partnership: Eventually found a partner who shared similar values regarding screen usage and personal energy management, highlighting the importance of aligning personal goals with one's lifestyle and relationships.

Your Call to Action

Step into the arena of innovation with the courage to experiment, the wisdom to prioritize, and the vision to see beyond the immediate horizon. Whether you're innovating in technology, business, education, or any other field, remember that the journey of innovation is a shared one. It calls for collaboration, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to finding better ways to solve the challenges of today and tomorrow.

As you move forward, consider how you can apply these principles in your own context. How can you contribute to a culture of innovation, whether in your organization, community, or personal life? Let the stories of past innovators inspire you, but also recognize that the future of innovation is in your hands. It's time to build, experiment, and refine your way to breakthrough success.

Innovation awaits. Are you ready to take the first step?