Overcoming 'insanity'

By Brian Walsh (Founder & CEO of Entrepreneur.co.za)

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

This definition has powerful implications for entrepreneurs because one of the prevailing traits of successful entrepreneurs is the ability to recognise when a certain course of action is not producing results, and make effective changes in order to change those results.

Many crises that we may experience as entrepreneurs, whether it’s to do with cash flow, market penetration or communication, can often be resolved by a slight change in direction. Note that I say ‘slight’ because slight changes in direction can lead to significant changes in outcome. Think of two straight parallel lines. If you moved the one line by only five degrees, the initial change might seem insignificant but the further along you followed the direction of the lines, the greater the distance between the two lines would become. This is how a minor change can ultimately lead in a completely different direction and result in a completely different outcome.

The power of this technique lies in planning. It is difficult to make changes, particularly minor ones, when you don’t have a plan. This is why plans are so important, and here I am not referring to your long-term business plan, but rather your detailed step-by-step plan. The power of effective planning is the ability to implement, monitor outcomes and make changes where the planned actions are not leading to your required outcomes. 

The detailed plan makes this possible because you will know what each required outcome is and have a step-by-step process planned out to reach that outcome. Just like the five-degree change in a line can lead to massive changes in outcome further down the line, the same is true with planning. By altering tasks slightly, the change in outcome in the future could be very significant.

This is an art and a very powerful tool entrepreneurs can use in overcoming challenges.

I use a simple model when planning:

1. I identify the five or six outcomes I want to achieve;

2. I create a list of major activities my team and I would need to complete in order to achieve these outcomes;

3. Under each activity I list every task that would be involved in completing that activity;

4. I then allocate the tasks with stipulated deadlines to myself and the team.

This process allows me to delegate, time manage and most importantly, anticipate outcomes and intervene where necessary.

It is only through this level of awareness that one can effectively make changes in activity that will lead to changes in outcome.

Ensuring you are not ‘insane’ in your business and personal life (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result) is relatively simple, but it does require effective planning and awareness of the smaller outcomes that lead to the bigger overall outcome.

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