Human language is never static. I find it especially fascinating to watch how some words evolve to mean exactly the opposite of their original meaning. I first noticed this in the 80s, when being 'bad' became a good thing. But it's been going on for a long time: in centuries past, the word "terrific" meant terror-inducing.
The latest instance of this seems to be the word "disruptive." A couple of generation ago, disruptive was a word applied to that loud, obnoxious kid in school who seemed incapable of sitting down and keeping his mouth shut, or to those of us who disagreed with the government's stance on Vietnam and clogged up our universities' office buildings, registering our dissatisfaction. Disruption was definitely considered a bad thing.
Now, I read articles with titles like "How To Tell If Your Latest Idea Is Disruptive" - and the focus of the article is assuring that your idea is disruptive - rather than how to assure that it isn't.
In fact, I just recently did a Skype interview with BIll Jensen, the author of Disrupt! Think Epic. Be Epic. Bill's point of view is that in our current environment, one that is and will continue to be characterized by ongoing radical change on every level, "The people who will succeed today are those who figure out how to benefit from, or take advantage of, continuous disarray, disorder and disruption."
Bill asked me three great questions in our interview (which you can watch below, if you'd like), and after the interview, I realized that asking yourself Bill's 3 questions provides a simple yet powerful way to get yourself more comfortable with disruption. Here, then, are the questions he asked -- and why I think reflecting on them can help you better 'surf the wave' of disruption:
1. Who is your favorite disruptive hero?Anyone who radically changed/affected what you know or believe, or what you felt or experienced, or what you do. A teacher, a parent, a friend, a boss, a mentor, a leader, etc… Anyone you had direct contact with who changed the path of your life.
By reflecting on someone who you consider both a personal hero and a disruptor, you start to make the connection between disruption and positive change. You see that at least one person in your life has challenged you, shifted you, maybe even blown up some comfortable assumptions...and that it has been, ultimately, a good thing for you. Maybe even a wonderful thing. The more we can see that the biggest disruptors in our lives can also be those who are most helpful to us - we start to relax into 'being disrupted' in a whole new way.
2. What is your favorite disruptive change? Something that has completely changed how you think or what you do or how you relate to others or how you work… A technology, an event, an experience, a freedom, etc.
I loved the idea of 'your favorite disruption' - not the one that was least bad, or the one you gritted your teeth and made it through; your favorite. As I thought about this, before the interview, I realized I actually have a number of favorites (the one I chose for the interview was social media). I also realized that every disruptive change I've come to see as positive was awkward and/or painful for me at some point. And that's a useful thing to recognize, too. So the next time some disruption is making you crazy, you can say to yourself, "a month, or six months, or a year from now - this might have become my favorite disruption." Which leads me to the third question.
3. What disruptive change are you struggling with? Something that is completely changing how you think or what you do or how you relate to others or how you work… A technology, a requirement, a way of doing things, a responsibility, etc.
I found that thinking about this question gave me permission to struggle with disruption. In the interview, I talk about how my job as head of my company is changing significantly. It was a big relief to acknowledge to myself that this change is uncomfortable for me in some ways, and that I'm not always sure if I'm responding to it properly, or what will come next (two of the biggest discomforts in disruption).
It made me realize that even as you get reasonably good at 'surfing' disruptive change, you're still going to feel awkward, uncomfortable, out of control and scared sometimes. You're going to fall off the board and get rolled under the wave. But if you expect that as part of the process, it's much, much easier to climb back on the board and find the next wave.
And that's how you get good enough to catch the really big ones and ride them all the way in.
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Check out Erika Andersen’s latest book, Leading So People Will Follow, and discover how to be a followable leader. Booklist called it “a book to read more than once and to consult many times.”
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