Outsider Perspective (and Why You Should Care)

Part 1 - Making the Case for Why You Should Care

If you’re reading this, chances are you are looking for insight to help reduce friction in your organization. Before we get to the answers for all your burning questions (and since it has direct bearing on the ‘why you should care’ part), let’s start by clearly defining the problem. No matter what business you’re in, there are major problems common across most organizations.

Pitfalls that can affect organizations over time include:

• Resistance to Change - Decision makers become resistant to change and unwilling to adapt their practices to new circumstances. This prevents the organization from evolving and adapting to the everchanging business environment.

• Outdated Practices - Organizations that don’t keep up with the latest practices and techniques will fall behind and struggle to remain competitive.

• Poor Communication - Poor communication leads to misunderstandings and conflicts between the organization and its employees, negatively impacting morale and productivity.

• Lack of Transparency - If decision makers are not transparent, trust erodes, and conflicts break out within the organization.

• Ineffective Leadership - Negatively impacts morale and productivity within the organization, leading to high turnover rates and difficulty attracting top talent.

These aren’t just ‘big company’ problems. Given the right conditions, these issues can (and WILL) affect organizations of any size. It’s important for people in these organizations to be aware of/constantly vigilant for these potential pitfalls. They also need to actively take steps to avoid them in order to ensure that their management practices remain effective over time.

Here are some ways to avoid those pitfalls:

• Embrace Change - Encourage a culture of continuous learning and be open to new ideas and approaches.

• Stay Up to Date - Keep up with the latest practices, techniques, and ways to incorporate them into your organization.

• Foster Open Communication - Encourage open and honest communication and (most importantly) listen to feedback and concerns.

• Be Transparent - As much as possible, decision making and communicate clearly with your employees about the reasons behind your decisions.

• Develop Strong Leadership - Foster a culture of strong leadership by providing actual leadership training and active development opportunities for managers.

By taking these steps, you can help your organizations avoid the debilitating pitfalls that develop over time.  You ensure that your organizations remain effective and adaptive. So, there you have it! A simple, clearly defined plan to make every organization run more smoothly and efficiently. No muss, no fuss!

Still here? Is it because you’re already experiencing some (or all) of the problems I listed above?  Do you want to know what to do when those pitfalls are already problems impacting your organization’s ability to deliver? That’s an easy one: Call in the outsiders!

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Part 2 - What do ‘Outsiders’ Bring to the Table?

First, let’s establish exactly what we mean by an ‘outsider perspective’:

1. A view or perspective that comes from someone who is not part of a particular group, organization, or community. (This seems self-explanatory, given the whole ‘outsider’ part.)

2. The ‘outsider(s)’ providing this view possess the required skills and expertise to necessary to facilitate what you are trying to accomplish. (This part is not as obvious at the outset, but it makes sense when you think about it.)

The type of outsider perspective described above is extremely valuable in cases where an organization is experiencing pitfalls like the ones outlined in Part 1. Because they come from outside an organization, they aren’t influenced by the same biases, assumptions, or experiences as those who are normally part of the group. Outsiders who can understand technical challenges can also bring different tools or approaches to the table. Basically, the right outsiders come equipped with a very useful superpower: a fresh perspective on the situation that allows them to offer new ideas and insights than those inside the group might have considered.

Here are some added details on the benefits of outside perspectives:

• Fresh Ideas and New Viewpoints - By seeking out diverse perspectives, you can gain new insights and ideas that you may not have considered before.

• Improved Decision Making - Hearing multiple perspectives can help you make more informed and well-rounded decisions.

• Increased Creativity - Getting input from a variety of sources can stimulate your creativity and help you come up with more innovative solutions to problems.

• Enhanced Communication - When you can see things from another person's perspective, you communicate more effectively with them.

• Greater Empathy - Seeing different perspectives helps you develop a deeper understanding of the larger picture and empathy for the position of others.

Part 3 - Conclusion (and Caveats)

There are a couple of important pieces of information you need to take into consideration. Like all things, this solution comes with a ‘Warning: Use in Moderation’ label. It’s important to recognize that outsider perspectives do have limitations. The fact that outsiders come from outside the organization means they can’t have the same depth of knowledge on a particular product or the level of understanding about the group as those who are part of it.

Outsider perspectives can help you get to a solution. They aren’t likely not THE solution. The decision-makers (meaning you) need to recognize this distinction and plan accordingly. Seek to strike a balance between insider and outsider perspectives in order to get a well-rounded view of a situation (and the best solution to your problem!)

The second consideration is to make sure you start things off by clearly defining the problem for everyone involved. What is the scope? What are the ‘rules of engagement’ for everyone? What is the overall goal? Before embarking on the journey, all the stakeholders need to understand where they’re going and how they’ll get there (or they won’t even get on the bus).

If the process doesn’t start this way, you’ll keep getting more of the same. Sadly, there’s not some special magic no one told you about until now that will magically make all your problems go away. If it was that easy, someone would have figured out how to box it and sell it years ago. That leaves the tried-and-true method of good old hard work and ingenuity!

Lastly, be aware of the paralysis that comes when facing hard problems. It’s not uncommon! It’s hard to move when every path seems bad and every destination seems wrong. Just because everything seems murky doesn't mean you stay put. Every journey starts with a step (even if it’s a small one). Figure out the first step and take it. Plans can change. Solutions evolve over time. You just need to start. Anything that moves you forward is a step in the right direction!

Start looking for people who can offer an outside opinion. Sit down and write out your problem. Rough draft some rules of engagement you’d use if someone else asked you for advice with the same problem. When combined with clearly defined scope and rules of engagement, outsider perspectives will help you overcome the pitfalls we talked about earlier. Through thoughtful planning and deliberate action of everyone involved, outside perspectives will help you to find the solutions you need to get your edge back.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think. I respond to all comments personally.

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