Your Future Vision, Passion, Strategy
October 10th, 2024
NOTICING AND WONDERING
Two days ago, Charlotte (our COO) and I had the privilege of leading a Groop at Underscore VC’s Annual Summit with the goal of bringing product leaders together who are interested in founding a company to reflect on their vision, connect with each other, and assess their readiness to act.
The discussion was grounded in the idea that you cannot build something you cannot see (from Motivational Interviewing) and that the most successful companies are ones where the founder “time travels to the future” (according to Mike Maples, author of Pattern Breakers and founding partner at Floodgate) to touch and feel a future problem so that you can build it today. This requires founders to be non-consensus and break the current mold in lieu of building for the future.
During our Groop, I noticed that when people shared their vision, their whys varied: some people saw a problem they wanted to solve, others had a killer product that was already built and they wanted to test in-market, and others assessed different ideas on the probability of success (analyzing whether or not it is best to be a first, second, or third mover). A dynamic conversation evolved.
The fundamental question that emerged was: what balance between passion to solve a problem and strategy to get there is needed to be successful? Or rather, what ratio of emotional fuel to rational analysis is correlated with the best outcomes and ability to sustain the grueling nature of a startup, get to product-market fit, and scale?
Of course, both are needed, but so many other questions followed. Does that ratio shift over time and at different stages? Is it founder-dependent? Product dependent? Capital dependent?
Naturally, because I am human and a little self-focused, I asked myself what is my balance? My #1 strength is strategy (I know disconnection is only worsening and positioned to become one of the biggest threats in the workplace in coming years). Yet, my passion to solve this has me running all over America at the drop of a hat, without question, to meet with people who see the same problem, and in the hope they might turn into co-conspirators (also a Mike Maples term).
I wondered, is this unique to startup? And I came to no. Most decisions are grounded in both rational and emotional consideration, and the ratio changes based on circumstance.
It made me think - when you reflect on work, what is your why? What is the emotional driver and the cognitive (or rational) driver? Do you skew one way versus the other, and why? What keeps you committed to your work, and is there room to deepen the other side of the equation? If you are all emotion, is there a way to add strategy? If you are all strategy, how can you connect with purpose and passion?
When we notice and name the poles of human experience we live in, it gives us choice in terms of how we want to spend our precious time and energy.
A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT
A DEEP-ish QUESTION (or Three)
If 0 is driven by thinking and 10 is driven by emotions, what number best reflects how you tend to make decisions?
If 0 is stability and 10 is novelty, what number best reflects how you prefer to live your life?
Why?
SOMETHING TO TRY
Next time you're making a decision or reflecting on your work, try this simple exercise:
Notice: Take a moment to observe your initial thoughts and feelings. What stands out to you right now about the decision you're facing or the work you're doing? Can you notice the emotional pull (your passion or desire to solve a problem) versus the rational analysis (your strategy or logic in approaching the situation)?
Wonder: Now, let yourself wonder about the balance between the two. Ask yourself:
Am I leaning more toward emotion or strategy here?
What would it look like if I adjusted the balance?
How might my decision or direction change if I brought more strategy into this moment? Or more passion?
Act: Based on your observations and reflections, consider one small action you can take to either balance or deepen one side of the equation (emotional vs. rational) in your approach.
This simple exercise of noticing and wondering can create awareness around the often invisible forces driving your decisions and actions, giving you more control over how you move forward.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Our podcast, The Psychology of Work, is officially launched! The amazing Jen Fisher, former Chief Wellbeing Officer / Head of Human Sustainability at Deloitte, kicked us off! Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and more!
Keep on connecting.
Best,
Bobbi
Bobbi Wegner, Psy.D.
Founder and CEO of Groops: helping teams feel and function their best
Lecturer at Harvard University in Industrial-Organizational Psychology
If you are curious about a workplace dynamic or issue, send me an email at drbobbiwegner@joingroops.com and I will anonymously post it and respond. If you are thinking it, others are too. We can learn from each other. Also, if you are curious about the cohesion and health of your team, book a complimentary 30-minute consultation HERE with one of our Groop Guides.