Myth-busting: Copy/pasting strategy can work.

Myth: Copy/pasting strategy works.

Truth: Experience offers us strategic principals we can thoughtfully adapt & apply. It does not create a users’ manual for our future.

Can we talk about this myth? The idea that we can copy and paste something that worked elsewhere as a good strategy for our current scenario?

First, let’s acknowledge that we can gain insight and wisdom from our own or others’ experiences. I think everyone can agree that experience is an excellent teacher. That’s no myth.

And let’s address the fact that our brains are always looking for efficiencies. That’s how our brains work. Nothing wrong with it. The problem arises when we attempt these ‘efficiencies’ on autopilot.

Because our circumstances rarely clone themselves. (And rarely is a generous word.) Even when a situation feels exactly like one we’ve been in before, it’s different.

Why?

Because humans are complex and adaptive and everything is constantly changing and growing. Consider:

• We as individuals continuously grow & change

• Our new context has completely different people than last time...who are also continuously growing and changing

• Our new context has different resources, strengths and challenges

• The external environment is continuously changing

Add to that when we try to copy/paste someone else’s strategy, but:

• We have different strengths than the person we’re trying to duplicate

• We have different resources & limitations than they did

• We live in a different time or place with different societal allowances & expectations

Experience is to be learned from, but it isn’t duplicated.

Don’t try to copy & paste strategy that worked for someone else.

Don’t try to copy & paste strategy that worked for you in another team, organization or time.

Don't expect this strategy worked with the team you had last year, it will work with the new combination of people.

Don't assume that the approach that worked for you when you were in a role just needs to be followed by your new direct report now that you're supervising the role.

Do look for what principals from previous experience (yours or someone else’s) can apply in this current context.

Do look for insight you can adapt and put to work in your current context.

Do look for what strengths can be leveraged now.

Do work with your direct reports to apply important principals through their strengths.

Experience offers principals, not a user’s manual.