Experiments, not initiatives

Want to sneak an idea into your organization and give it the best shot of taking root? Call it (and frame it as) an experiment. Make sure people know it’ll probably be irrelevant to their day-to-day, that it’s just a few people trying this thing for a set time box, that they’re invited to join but no pressure, and if you’re pressed by a deadline for something else, that’s fine; maybe skip this round.

hand-drawn cartoon depiction of a scientist experimenting in a chemistry lab

Want to ensure maximum organizational resistance to an idea? Call it (and frame it as) an initiative. Make sure people know it’s coming for them, that there’s a plan with phases and task forces, that it’s going to replace things they like or feel empowered over without real detail upfront over what that might be, and that most of them have no input because all the decisions have already been made.

Screen displaying a businessperson discussing a new initiative, dystopian

What the idea itself actually is matters, but how it’s positioned often matters more.

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