An exponential leadership mindset vs. a linear leadership mindset + the 6Ds of technology Disruption.
What Does Exponential Growth Feel Like?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n67WesqphTw
Exponential Wisdom Episode 102: Exponential Mindset
Reading 1 — How to Create an Exponential Mindset
In your business journey and throughout your career you will go through the phases of launching, growing, and expanding. As you gain altitude in company hierarchies, you will also start to take charge of teams/functions. You cannot be successful as a lone ranger, thinking exponentially, whilst surrounded by linear thinkers. Thus, you have to be able to teach others how to develop an exponential mindset.
Read 1: How to create an exponential mindset
- Citation: Bonchek, M. (2016). How to Create an Exponential Mindset. Retrieved 8 February 2022, from https://hbr.org/2016/07/how-to-create-an-exponential-mindset
Read 2: Learn How to Create An Exponential Mindset (Adopt Exponential Thinking)
- Citation: Sullivan, D. (2021). Learn How To Create An Exponential Mindset (Adopt Exponential Thinking). Retrieved 8 February 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/learn-how-create-exponential-mindset-adopt-thinking-dan-sullivan/
Read 3: How to Achieve an Exponential Mindset
- Citation: Blacklock, A. (2022). How to Achieve an Exponential Mindset — WealthFit. Retrieved 15 February 2022, from https://wealthfit.com/articles/exponential-thinking-mindset/
Optional read: Answers from people over the world, answering the question: What is an exponential mindset? How do you create it?
As you read this, please consider these questions:
- How do I inspire the people around me to also adopt an exponential mindset?
- What linear mindset traps am I, or the people around me falling into?
- What new habits do I need to cultivate in order to have a perpetual exponential mindset?
- How can I share adopting an exponential mindset with the teams around me?
Your brain is wired for linear thinking. Learn exponential thinking instead
The activity aligns with weekly outcome 2
The human species is organically programmed to be linear. Our “operating software” needs to deal with 4 things:
- Where is food?
- Where is shelter?
- Where is a mate to procreate with?
- Where is the danger?
These 4 things are coming straight from our prehistoric brain, coined by Seth Godin as the Lizard brain. As an additional learning opportunity, you can watch one of his videos where he talks about the lizard brain: Your Lizard Brain is Holding You Back: Here’s How to Overcome It
Exponential thinking is not a part of our linear programming.
Let’s better understand the biology behind this, not only so that we can better manage ourselves, but such that we can better lead the teams around us!
Read or Listen: Your brain is wired for linear thinking. Learn exponential thinking instead
- Link: https://bigthink.com/plus/your-brain-is-wired-for-linear-thinking-learn-exponential-thinking-instead/
- Citation: Your brain is wired for linear thinking. Learn exponential thinking instead. BigThink+. (2019). Retrieved 16 February 2022, from https://bigthink.com/plus/your-brain-is-wired-for-linear-thinking-learn-exponential-thinking-instead/.
As you read this, please consider these questions:
- Can I see the biologically coded behaviours in the people around me?
- Can I hold up a mirror and look at my own linear behaviours.
- Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8cpwttrAxs
- Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZJRbdMlqGg
- Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y-O6xj-pb0
Diamandis, P. (2017). 6 D’s of Exponential Growth [Video]. Retrieved 16 February 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMgO3xu1L70
Who’s ready for some Disruption?
The Merriam-webster dictionary defines disruption as ‘the act or process of disrupting something: a break or interruption in the normal course or continuation of some activity, process, etc.’ The music industry hit a major disruption in the digital revolution — music streaming, live concert streaming, virtual reality concerts. These off course boomed during strict Covid lockdowns but have been around for a while now. Various other industries are also undergoing changes and are faced with disruptions.
Can you think of industries that are so ready for the disruption they can for (in)sure taste it? Clue in the sentence…
Let’s find out more.
Read: Disrupting food
- Link: https://www.diamandis.com/blog/disrupting-food
- Citation: Diamandis, P. (2015). Disrupting Food [Blog]. Retrieved from https://www.diamandis.com/blog/disrupting-food
Listen: Flipping the insurance Industry
- Link: https://www.diamandis.com/blog/podcast-episode-68-flipping-the-insurance-industry
- Citation: Diamindis, P. (2019). Podcast Episode 68: Flipping the insurance industry [Podcast]. Retrieved 8 February 2022, from https://www.diamandis.com/blog/podcast-episode-68-flipping-the-insurance-industry
Optional Read: What is disruption, really?
- Link: https://www.startupgrind.com/blog/what-is-disruption-really-8-examples-and-what-to-learn-from-them/
- Citation: Daisyme, P. What Is Disruption, Really? 8 Examples and What to Learn From Them [Blog]. Retrieved from https://www.startupgrind.com/blog/what-is-disruption-really-8-examples-and-what-to-learn-from-them/
As you read and listen, reflect on the following:
- How does an industry or a value chain get disrupted by exponential technology?
- Is disruption always a threat, or, could it also pose opportunity?
- Which other industries are ready for a disruption to explode?
6 Ds of Exponential Growth
This activity aligns with Weekly Outcome 4
Although our generation IS the case study for exponential technology disruption, some frameworks have emerged that help us plot the way, and plan for what is coming.
One of those curves is the 6 Ds of exponential technology disruption.
First, an industry is digitized, or information enabled.
After that, it undergoes a deceptive growth phase — starting off a low base, and doubling on every iteration.
Then suddenly, it disrupts the incumbent models because it reached maturity.
After that, it demonetised, typically shrinking additional unit costs to near zero.
It will then typically dematerialize — i.e., separate physical products are removed from the equation
And then finally, democratization — where, because of the distributable nature of digitized, dematerialized solution at near zero incremental cost, scale is achieved in the take-up
As you watch the video, reflect on the following:
- Where on the 6Ds framework is my industry?
- Where on the 6Ds framework is my company?
- How much of my current role is set to be disrupted, if I follow the 6 Ds curve?
Click the video below to watch. (Length: 3:40 min)