We have all been trained that the more control we have, the more successful we will be.
That's why on Amazon every management book with the word "surprise" in its title is about how to avoid or prevent the phenomena. Businesses hate uncertainty. You can't forecast or anticipate surprises so they're seen as either irrelevant or as threats.
Yet, the power of surprise is necessary to create business breakthroughs. Something fresh and new produces a significant leap forward. When we experience a game-changing product or service, we feel positively surprised.
Take Apple's iPhone when it was introduced in 2007, I bought one for $650+ because it allowed me to leave my laptop at home when I traveled while keeping it touch through email and Internet access. Apple continues to introduce new iPhone generation improvements to keep customers upgrading their phone's capability with surprises like---Siri on iPhone 4S lets you use your voice to send messages, make calls, set reminders, and more. Just speak naturally. Siri understands what you say.
And, during the process of creating breakthroughs, surprises inevitably crop up along the way. Success depends on our ability to interpret and respond to unexpected good and bad events, unanticipated customer comments and other surprising experiences.
New Mindsets are the Missing Link
In LEAPFROGGING, author Soren Kaplan reveals why this command-and-control mindset is exactly what stymies innovation. When it comes to big ideas, leaders search for the inspiration that will transform their business. Other leaders lament they have lots of ideas but just can't get traction with any of them. They know something is missing, but they can't pinpoint it.
The leapfrogging life cycle that Kaplan describes in his book is not a step-by-step how to guide. But it does outline the key phases and dynamics that characterize the process of leading business breakthroughs. The leapfrogging life cycle traces the path to breakthroughs by describing the leadership and organizational dynamics involved at various phases over time. The leapfrogging life cycle quite literally depicts the ups and downs involved in creating breakthroughs.
If you want a game changing breakthrough, customers will rarely ask for it....you need to do something that's meaningful for yourself first and foremost. After you have figured that out, then go and test your ideas with customers and let the surprises roll.
Soren Kaplan: Leapfrogging: Harness the Power of Surprise for Business Breakthroughs