Screw Best Practice

Screw best practice! In a well-attended strategy meeting recently, we discussed implementing a very unique and exciting project. It would radically change the way a certain part of the organisation worked and make many of our end user’s lives better. With all decisions in life, the pros and cons are weighed accordingly, to ensure the best outcome. At the end of the presentation I asked what our colleagues in other regions were doing. We will have to spend a lot of time and effort evaluating this project, maybe we could fast track it, collaborate and understand what lessons they learned. I guess you could say, uncover what is the best practice. Best practice is reassuring to an organisation. It can help avoid risk, alleviate concerns. Play it safe. Shouldn’t we?

Once you understand the best practice, bin it. Safety kills creativity. They may be a legislative requirement, or a defined process set by a third party, but if there isn’t, best practice can deny you discovery.

If we play it safe and replicate what others have done, how can we evolve? Sometimes replication may be good enough, but how do we discover the gold seams? We innovate.

Best practice provides you the average of everyone who is following them. Breakthroughs happen not when you follow habits, but when you break them.

Which best practices are a barrier to your success?

Blog by award winning Entrepreneur, Speaker and Business Coach Ian Farrar, is host of the chart topping Industry Angel Business Podcast. Ian is also the founder of Sales & Marketing consultancy Far North Ltd.