Worksheet: Go from breakthrough to boring
I recently had a conversation with a renewable energy entrepreneur about the challenge of bringing new ideas to market. Experience taught him that when his team innovates a unique solution, the key to successful user adoption is to take the offering from breakthrough to boring as quickly as possible.
His point was that if the average customer sees something as outlandish, radical, or far-fetched, they won’t adopt it. Yes, there is always a contingent of people who seek out cutting-edge ideas, but most potential customers won’t. As a result, the challenge of adoption is to lower the risk and make a big idea ordinary.
I latched onto the phrase breakthrough to boring. Not only is it a great alliteration, but it contains a fundamental lesson for leaders.
This week’s video and worksheet are designed to assist you in answering the questions and coming up with a game plan.
Breakthrough to Boring
Patrick Leddin, PhD is a speaker, global leadership consultant, and The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Five-Week Leadership Challenge. Patrick is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University with a thriving leadership blog and podcast, and 25-years of leadership experience. He offers an unparalleled mix of academic rigor and real-world experience.