Shipulski On Design

This is the first in a series of blog posts on changes that make a difference.   And the first change I will discuss is elevating the importance of the current state and deprioritizing the future state, especially the idealized future state.

Future State To Current State

I bet you are asking to see an idealized future state and the work needed to get there.  Truth is, by definition, you cannot achieve the idealized future state.  You can use it as a navigation aid, but you’ll never get there (H/T Dave Snowden).  At best, it’s aspirational; at worst, the team knows you think it’s achievable (you asked them for a plan to get there).  This makes for a despondent team.  Do you really want that?

And there are other problems with the idealized future state.  Firstly, there is no universal ideal.  Your ideal is not my ideal.  Whose ideal is right? Who decides?  And how do you know it’s ideal?  The team knows there’s no universal ideal. They know the ideal is arbitrary.  And they know you’re asking them to go after this “ideal” state as if it’s truly ideal.  Outwardly, they behave like it’s ideal, and inside, they know it isn’t.  Why do you want to do this to the team that you need to create your next products?

Secondly, the idealized future state is defined in the present moment.  And since your journey is long, things will change along the way.  And these changes make it impossible to predict the idealized future state. The technology will change, the market will change, the laws will change, the regulatory requirements will change, the people will change, and geopolitics will change.  The team knows the future cannot be predicted, and they know the prediction you made is wrong.  They won’t tell you that, but they know.  Why do you want to create the conditions for the team to withhold their thoughts and feelings?

Everyone knows the future cannot be predicted. Why not behave that way?

I think it’s more effective to create a shared understanding of the current state.  To do that, you and the team must agree on your location (current state) at the expense of agreeing on your destination (future state).  All my journeys started from where I was, and all my future journeys will start from where I will be.  Everything starts from where you are. And I think it’s the same with companies.  And when the team agrees on the current state, they are comfortable and confident.  I think it’s in your and your company’s best interest to put the team in that headspace.  It’s good for the team and good for business.

And all journeys start from where you are.  Why not figure out where you are?

If you are curious about mapping in this domain, here are three posts about mapping:

• If you want to make progress, make a map. (2023)
• The Half-Life of Our Maps (2014)
• Situational Awareness (Winter Is Coming) (2018)

Next week, I’ll discuss how to move from Dilution to Focus.

Image credit – Peter Addor – Tree and Birds go in the same direction