I used to know a brilliant fundraiser who had a habit of ordering her notes and papers on a table as if she had used a set square. I often found myself knocking them out of the precise angle she had set which caused great stress to her and mild amusement to me. This is the wrong form of disruption. I apologise unreservedly.
We are now entering an era of massive disruption. This will be in the way we ask, the way we organise ourselves and the way we deliver results. Our methods require the disruption of lives so we can ask on the scale we need to, to address the problems in the world we want to solve. This has changed already and we are going to need to be much more flexible, pragmatic, proactive and most of all brave. Many people get lost between Innovation and Disruption. Forbes and The Economist have a done great articles on the distinction, but essentially disruption is a shift, a change in thinking and behaving and the invention of new and better. Simple version below.
We think of disruption as huge stuff. Uber and taxis. Apple and tech. Facebook and Twitter. But small disruption is needed too. Small can mean a change in thinking, behaviour, invention of new and better by different. Creative disruption to shift behaviour from the current norm to a new place. What can that look like in a small way that can have a big impact? What can you do on a day-to-day basis that stirs things up for good? How do you mess the papers organised with the set square?
So, simple things. How about disrupting the way you work? How about changing the reporting so it matters? About how you thank people. How about shifting back the responsibility for a process to the person who is supposed to do the process? How about you get them to meet a donor? How about a donors sign off? How about replacing meetings with 20 minute time frames – no action then stop. How about creative disruption in direct mail or legacies or digital where you create a different view or message, where you go with a hunch and just see? How about disruption in your team meeting – get out of the room and visit something together or create something together – a problem you keep ignoring. How about removing one approval a day and letting someone decide for themselves? Disrupt and challenge because you want to see and be better. How about changing the rules or even better getting rid of them?
How about brand new?
The list can be endless. But the mind that adopts creative disruption with small steps can make things happen and for the right reasons that lead to big steps.
Have a go. #disrupt4good. Ideas on a tweet please.