Listening: Some say that disruptive innovation is really about being able to manage the unknown / unknowns; creating new value by anticipating the future. Think about it: Managing what we don’t know we don’t know. That’s really impossible stuff.
Or is it?
The problem is the word managing. We can’t possible manage what we don’t know. Pretty simple.
What we need to do is not manage but listen. Disruptive innovation begins by being excellent at listening for what is about to happen.
The digital “plumbing” of the past 30 odd years has given us plenty to listen to and plenty to listen with.
The problem is that we have forgotten that in order to listen we have to be ready to hear; to the customer, to the team, to each other.
So before you “disrupt” ask yourself: Are you ready to hear?