I recently watched Adam Grant’s TED Talk on “The surprising habits of original thinkers.” (https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_the_surprising_habits_of_original_thinkers). After rewatching it a few times, Adam has challenged my perspective on innovation and productivity in FedGovCon, offering what I believe are some valuable lessons for how we approach work.

Failure to Launch

Seven years before the talk, Adam Grant was approached by a student who asked him to invest in a new company. The student explained that he and three friends were trying to disrupt an industry by selling stuff online. When Grant inquired about their commitment, he learned that they had all taken internships as a backup and had lined up jobs after graduation, just in case their venture didn’t work out.

Six months later, on the day before the company was set to launch, they still didn’t have a functioning website. Grant, unimpressed by their apparent lack of commitment and their missing the first-mover advantage, declined to invest. The company turned out to be Warby Parker, which sells glasses online. Despite Grant’s doubts, Warby Parker was recognized as the world’s most innovative company and valued at over a billion dollars just 2 years later.

This story serves as a key example in Grant’s talk, illustrating that originality and success don’t always look like we expect them to. The founders’ cautious approach and slow start, which initially seemed like red flags to Grant, were actually signs of a thoughtful, measured approach to innovation. It challenges the common notion that successful entrepreneurs are all-in risk-takers and shows that even seemingly slow starters can become industry disruptors.

First-mover vs. Improver

Grant challenges the commonly held belief that being first to market (the first-mover advantage) is crucial for success. He cites a study that compared first movers (those who created a market) with improvers (those who introduced something different and better) across over 50 product categories.

I was shocked:

1.      First movers had a failure rate of 47 percent. Myspace and Friendster preceded Facebook.

2.      Improvers, on the other hand, had a much lower failure rate of only 8 percent.  Altavista and Yahoo preceded Google.

The Counterintuitive Nature of Creativity

One of Grant’s most compelling points concerns the relationship between procrastination and creativity. Grant presents research indicating that moderate procrastinators often demonstrate higher levels of creativity than early birds and last-minute rushers. This concept of “productive procrastination” allows for the incubation of ideas, giving our minds time to make unexpected connections and approach problems from novel angles.

In Grant’s words, “Procrastination gives you time to consider divergent ideas, to think in nonlinear ways, to make unexpected leaps.” This insight is particularly relevant for us in the federal government contracting sector, where we must balance innovation with strict deadlines and mission-critical operations.

Balancing Innovation and Reliability in FedGovCon

At ICS, we’ve found ways to implement this concept, particularly in our Labs Division, where we develop new capabilities to improve cost, quality, and speed internally and on our customer programs. Here, we focus on generating unique ideas and are comfortable with the concept of failing often and fast. This is precisely where “productive procrastination” has yielded significant benefits.

By combining Agile Innovation Sprints with periods of controlled procrastination, we’ve developed several groundbreaking capabilities using our Innovation Portfolio Management (IPM) system. These innovations are driving substantial improvements in cost, quality, and speed for both ICS and our customers:

1.      Sensitive Data Spillage Prevention: We’ve developed Convolutional Neural Network Technology to prevent data spillages in DoD / IC environments where GitLab is being used.

2.      Agile Risk Reduction Methodology: An innovative algorithm that calculates optimal test coverage requirements based on feature story points and the customer’s risk appetite.

3.      Agile Innovation Management: We’ve created an ISO 56002-aligned Agile Innovation Management System with GitLab at its core.

4.      Microservice Mesh Expertise: Most of our development utilizes Microservices, aligning with Gartner’s vision for the future of application development.

Additionally, we maintain a substantial pipeline of ideas, continuously refined using our innovation management system.

The Limits of Procrastination in Mission-Critical Operations

However, it’s crucial to recognize that in government contracting, we can’t always afford to procrastinate. For instance, in our Operations Division, where we’re managing critical IT systems for the military, every second can be vital, and mistakes can be devastating. Procrastination in this context could directly impact the mission, a risk we cannot take.

This dichotomy illustrates a key challenge for leaders in our industry: determining where controlled procrastination works and where it doesn’t in daily operations.

Even in our Operations Division, we’ve found that complex problem-solving sometimes benefits from a pause. It’s about creating opportunities for our team to gain new perspectives – what Grant calls “vuja de,” seeing the familiar as if it’s new.

Embracing Failure to Drive Innovation

Grant’s talk also addresses fear and doubt in original thinking. Contrary to popular belief, original thinkers aren’t fearless. They experience the same fears and doubts as others but manage these emotions differently.

Grant distinguishes between self-doubt, which can be paralyzing, and idea doubt, which can be energizing. This distinction is crucial in fostering a culture of innovation, especially in the FedGovCon space where the stakes are high, and the consequences of failure can be severe.

At ICS, we work very hard to create an environment where calculated risks are encouraged, and controlled failure is viewed as a learning opportunity. This approach has led to some of our most innovative solutions.

Quantity Breeds Quality

Another concept from Grant’s talk is that original thinkers often produce numerous ideas, many of which may not succeed. As Grant puts it, “You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones.”

This principle is central to our innovation strategy at ICS. We encourage our team to generate many ideas, knowing that while many may not pan out, a few will be transformative.

Leadership in the Age of Originality

As leaders in the FedGovCon space, our responsibility is to create an environment that nurtures original thinking while meeting the demanding requirements of our industry. This involves several key strategies:

1.      Encourage productive procrastination

2.      Foster psychological safety

3.      Celebrate productive failure

4.      Balance structure and flexibility

5.      Promote cross-pollination of ideas

6.      Invest in continuous learning

The Challenge Ahead

The ability to foster original thinking while maintaining the highest reliability and security standards will be a key differentiator for business.  I wonder, how can we, as an industry, create an environment that encourages original thinking while still meeting the exacting requirements of our sector?

·         How do we consistently balance innovation and reliability?

·         Have you experienced any breakthroughs due to “controlled procrastination”?  What did you learn?

·         What else am I missing?  What strategies have you found effective in fostering a culture of original thinking?

As Adam Grant concludes, “Being original is not easy, but I have no doubt about this: it’s the best way to improve the world around us.”

I could not agree more.

#Innovation #Leadership #Creativity #Productivity #RiskManagement