A friend of mine used to say that insanity was doing the same thing and expecting different results. Apparently, he got that from Albert Einstein.
Seth Godin reminded me of him today: “You've done it before, and before that and before that. A dozen or a hundred or perhaps a thousand times before...Why are we surprised, then, when the outcome is usually the same as well?”
There is safety in doing something the same way,
especially if you feel the result is adequate.
Mixing it up could make it worse.
But, a new approach could also leave you far better off.
Seth was talking about meetings. He felt focusing on differences could help you to approach the meeting from a fresh perspective and make it more productive.
But let’s go beyond meetings – what about people?
Do you hire the same kinds of people or people that are “proven” in a certain area?
Do you experiment with new vendors and suppliers?
If you’re looking for non-traditional results, try taking a non-traditional approach!