Intrepreneurship

If you do the same things you've always done you'll get the same things you've always gotten.  You may be okay with that if you have had strong results, but even if you have it will cause you to stagnate.  Staying in the same place will give you a false sense of security, almost like taking refuge under the wing of a humingbird.

The trick is to innovate and creatively devise new paths for your business partnerships without upsetting the apple cart.  There are ways of developing new businesses within the framework of existing ones.  New strategies tucked inside of proven alliances.

Call it "Intrepreneurship."  An entrepreneurial spirit that works within the confines of what is already working.

Let's say you've got a great business and you and your partner have built a profitable relationship over the years.  Everything is moving along just as it should without
need for any drastic changes.  Hallelujah!  It sounds like you are doing a great job of exactly what we talk about in this space - fusing the focus of the two organizations to accomplish a goal.  You have developed a common purpose and you work together beautifully.

But there will always be something that you don't know:  Are you leaving business on the table?  Is your share of the market as great as it could be?  If you are getting the same things you've always gotten, maybe you're stagnating.  Perhaps your opinion of your business is more favorable than it ought to be.  Sort of like hiding under that hummingbird's wing.

What can you do to test the quality of your shared vision?  How can you prompt new ideas that are in line with your current business?  When will you start to see beyond what is happening and look to what is possible?

Great questions, and I'm glad you asked!  I have a great three-step process for you that includes a one-hour monthly meeting, a quarterly summit for a half a day, and also an annual event.  Here we go:

• Monthly:  Brainstorming Session - On a monthly basis you should get together with your partner to brainstorm ideas that could be possible.  As with any brainstorming exercise, there are no right or wrong ideas.  Pick a topic area like a product line or a service offering and start throwing ideas out that serve a particular purpose for that area of the business.  The ideas you are brainstorming should be for a singular purpose for one aspect of the business, such as: "how to improve the quality of the widget" or "ways to improve the capabilities of our technical staff."  Think: (1) functional area; and, (2) purpose.  It should not be something more generic like: "strengthening our partnership" or "selling more widgets."  The ideas that those will generate will be too broad and will lack any meaningful impact.  But ideas on how to improve the capabilities of the technical staff?  That will generate some interesting ideas that may have real power behind them.  It is important to note that you aren't going to run with most of the ideas...  Some will be bad, some will be ineffective, and some will be impractical.  That's okay.  Everyone should go in with the idea that their ideas may not be used.  At this session you are looking for a multitude of specific ideas so you can sift them and try to pick out the gems that might possibly be implemented.
• Quarterly:  New Ideas Summit - Every three months you pull together the best ideas from the past three brainstorming sessions.  There may only be one or there may be two or three, but each brainstorming session should be included.  Over the total number of ideas from the three sessions, you may have 6-8 ideas that seem like they are feasible and could impact the partnership and help to increase overall effectiveness.  Discuss which to implement and how you will do it.  Build an action plan and hold people accountable.  This is a great time to delegate authority and disperse ownership of actions throughout the organization.  When you meet again for a quarterly New Ideas Summit, you do the same thing but you also examine how you are doing with the actions from the previous Summit.  Are they getting done?  Has there been any impact?  Does there seem to be potential for big impact in the future?
• Annually:  Look Back and Celebrate - Okay, this may be a surprise, but it is crucial.  If the goal is to avoid stagnation, you have to look back and evaluate where you are compared to where you would be if you never did any brainstorming in the first place.  There have likely been some critical new actions that have taken place over the past year that now exist because of this process.  That is worth celebrating!  Take time to think about what might have been and talk about how the partnership is different because of the actions you have brainstormed and put to work.

The only thing I can promise if you follow this path is that you won't be stagnant.  You won't get exactly the same things you have always gotten and you won't have a false sense of security.  And, if you are diligent you may just find new ways to improve your business and great new methods to increase market share.