• Home
  • Episodes
  • Books for Leaders
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • Our Sponsors
  • Blog
  • Our Newsletter
The Leadership Podcast

The Leadership Podcast

We Study Leaders

June 8, 2022

TLP310: See What Others Miss

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/theleadershippodcast/TLP_310.mp3
Play in New Window Download

Ron Adner is the leading strategy thinker on the topic of business ecosystems. He is the author of The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See that Others Miss and a new book, Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World. Ron shares important insights on the language of strategic alignment to help you navigate the new world of coalitions and ecosystems. If your new value proposition requires rewiring your relationships – you’re in an ecosystem where there is interdependence. It takes a new language to teach new strategies, and the rewards can be great. Listen in to see if you should be shifting your perspective.

Key Takeaways

[2:10] Much of what Ron writes is on how to think about innovation and make sure you are doing the right work. He stresses efficient, effective action.

[3:24] What kind of shifts will disrupt your ecosystem? Modern disruptions change the ecosystem, for example, making a change in how healthcare is delivered and changing the boundaries of industries.

[7:11] The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the work ecosystem. It’s a virus; it’s supposed to stay in its healthcare box. It broke through boundaries to affect international relations, trade, supply chains, and more. An ecosystem disruption requires an ecosystem response. Ron shares a link for listeners to read Chapter 1 of his book, for free, to learn about the challenge we are all facing.

[10:45] In 95% of conversations where people use the word “ecosystem,” you could substitute the word “mishmash,” with no loss of meaning. Ron claims there is a lack of structured thinking about ecosystems. He shares a specific definition of ecosystem, and how it connects to whether or not your new value proposition requires rewiring relationships.

[12:53] Hans Rosling wrote in Factfulness about the secondary and tertiary effects of the globally important decisions we make. Ron says people can’t confidently discuss third-order consequences. His work is built on the structure of interdependence; understanding the system that is implied by a value proposition. Think about the structure of the system that needs to come together for the proposition.

[16:35] Ron believes that if we can think more broadly about the set of parties we are going to interact with, a lot of things become easier to see. It requires flexibility and true empathy for the counterparty’s position.

[18:36] When writing his book, Ron discovered that the structure of interdependence is changing. It’s necessary to know what the changes are. In Jack Welch’s GE, it was clear what the industry was and easy to rank who was number one. Today, all sorts of parties are on the same game board playing different games. Choose the game you want to win! Winning the wrong game can feel a lot like losing.

[21:05] Meeting the clients’ needs better than the competition was the traditional execution lens and it is still needed. But is that all that’s needed? Is your ability to deliver on that promise entirely within your capability set, or are you going to be relying on other parties and partners to do something to enable you to deliver, not your product or service, but the value proposition that you’re making?

[22:50] Is it better to follow the traditional execution of the value proposition? It depends on whether you have easy access to the abilities and resources needed to deliver on that proposition. If not, you need an ecosystem of partners that can do something to enable you to deliver on the value proposition. And you need to put them on the same pedestal to maintain the value proposition.

[23:45] Ron shares a case study from Michelin, and their run-flat tire. They didn’t invest enough in their service garage partners and the product collapsed. Critical partners are just as important to strategize for as your end consumers.

[24:50] Jan cites Steve Justice, former program director for Lockheed Martin, saying, “You’ve got to stand in the future. And if people are laughing at you, you know you’re far enough out there, that you’re standing in the future.”

[25:48] Ron suggests asking, “What do we need to get there?”, “Who do we need to get there?”, “How do you align them?” He explains the differences between a project and an ecosystem. In an ecosystem, your partners may not know that you’re planning to rely on them. In a project, everyone knows who the manager is. In an ecosystem, there is no hierarchy of authority. You rely on strategic alignment.

[28:48] An ecosystem that’s functioning well is one that’s in balance.

[29:42] Chapter 6 of Winning the Right Game is an attempt to understand what individual leadership means when you’re playing in the ecosystem game. There is a distinction between the execution mindset required to succeed in a setting where the leader puts his organization first, and the alignment mindset required to align different organizations into an ecosystem coalition, putting the coalition first.

[33:27] Jim refers to Joseph Pine and James Gilmore’s concept of the experience economy, where the experience, not the service, is the greater value proposition. Ron talks about Amazon and Alexa’s value proposition for the smart home and how they surpassed Apple, Google, and Microsoft to lead in smart homes, and how Tesla surpassed GM in electric cars.

[37:25] Some leaders can’t make the jump from leading others to leading the organization. Ron says there are different categories of leaders. We need execution people in industries. For others, building coalitions comes more naturally. Most of us are not at the top of the organization. Ron describes a mindset that is helpful for middle executives in choosing the projects they want to be in.

[41:22] The language of strategy is inadequate for today’s tasks. Ron suggests using the chapters of Winning the Right Game to communicate what underlies your strategy. Use the new language of strategic alignment to educate the people below and above you in the organization.

[46:04] Ron summarizes. Chunks of the world operate in an industry mindset. Chunks of the world are shifting toward an ecosystem situation. First, figure out what side of the world you are in. Use the industry toolbox for industry. If your opportunity relies on a new set of collaborators and a new mode of collaboration, use the new ecosystem strategic alignment toolbox. If you get it right, rewards are great.

[50:02] Jim invites listeners to visit theleadershippodcast.com and closes with a Stanley A. McChrystal quote that leaders should be like gardeners, creating and maintaining a viable ecosystem in which the organization operates.


The Leadership Podcast is sponsored by W.S. Darley & Company.  

Founded in 1908, Darley remains a family owned and operated business, providing the highest quality equipment solutions to our country’s warfighters and firefighters.  

Learn more at darley.com and darleydefense.com


Quotable Quotes

“The key in a difficult world is efficient, effective action.” Click To Tweet “Classic disruption … was a study of identifying substitute threats while they were still off the radar. … All that disruption was really a technology substitution.” Click To Tweet “When I talk about an ecosystem disruption, it’s this disruption that doesn’t change the technology within a given box. It changes the boundaries that used to define these boxes that we can think of as traditional industries. That,… Click To Tweet “An ecosystem response is one where a coalition of actors is pulled together. ” Click To Tweet “When I talk about an ecosystem, I have a very specific definition in mind. … It’s the structure through which partners interact to deliver a value proposition to an end consumer.” Click To Tweet “The ecosystem, then, is anchored not in any given actor, not in a firm, but in a value proposition and the structure through which multiple partners interact.” Click To Tweet “Whenever you have a value proposition that requires a rewiring of relationships, that’s when you’re moving into this ecosystem world, which, I will argue, requires a new strategy toolbox to draw from.” Click To Tweet “When you have a new proposition that doesn’t require rewiring [relationships], you don't need to worry about this ecosystem stuff. You can go back toward traditional tools.” Click To Tweet “Your challenge is not just winning but choosing the game you want to win. The threat, of course, is that you can win the wrong game, and winning the wrong game can feel a lot like losing.” Click To Tweet “Can you execute in a traditional execution way, or do you need to rely on an ecosystem? Why do we see firms relying on partners? It’s because they don’t have easy access to the capabilities or the resources.” Click To Tweet “How is it that great people are succeeding in one setting and being less successful in the other?” Click To Tweet “In the real world, if you're in a room and you’re the only person with the right answer, you're totally useless. Your job is to get everybody else to the right answer, and that requires language.” Click To Tweet “It’s not saying there’s a new world order or everything has changed. It’s saying some things have changed and perhaps you’re in a situation that might be different but it doesn’t mean everything is.” Click To Tweet

Resources Mentioned

  • Theleadershippodcast.com
  • Sponsored by: Darley.com
  • Ron Adner
  • Ron Adner on LinkedIn
  • Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College
  • The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See that Others Miss, by Ron Adner
  • Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World, by Ron Adner
  • Clay Christensen
  • Canon
  • Nucor
  • U. S. Steel
  • Southwest Airlines
  • MinuteClinic®
  • CVS
  • COVID-19
  • Chapter 1 of Winning the Right Game
  • Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, by Hans Rosling
  • Stanley A. McChrystal
  • Winning: The Ultimate Business How-To Book, by Jack Welch with Suzy Welch
  • Jack Welch
  • Steve Justice
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Jim Collins: Level 5 Leader
  • Look: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills, by James H. Gilmore
  • The Experience Economy, by Joseph Pine and James H. Gilmore
  • Disney
  • Starbucks
  • Amazon
  • Alexa
  • Tesla
  • GM
  • What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, by Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter
  • Michael Port
  • Malcolm Gladwell

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: disruption, ecosystem, innovation, leadership

TLP 309: This Author Has Written More About M...
TLP311: How Women of Color Redefine Power in ...

Related Posts

  • TLP117: NFL Lessons – Get Your Mind Where Your Feet Are
  • TLP063: Rudy’s Perspective On Supporters and Detractors
  • TLP142: Grace – A Leadership Aspiration
  • TLP104: Navigating Crucial & Emotional Conversations
  • TLP173: What’s Wrong With Leadership Development (not a question)
iTunes
Spotify
Audible
Stitcher
SoundCloud
iHeartRADIO
Radio Public

Instagram Feed

westudyleaders

#leadership #leadershiptraining #leader #westudyleaders

The Leadership Podcast
TLP307: How to Transition from a ‘Knower’ Mind TLP307: How to Transition from a ‘Knower’ Mindset to a ‘Learner’ Mindset ⠀Our latest episode with Joe Schurman https://bit.ly/TLP-307?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP307%3A%20How%20to%20Transition%20from%20a%20%E2%80%98Knower%27%20Mindset%20to%20a%20%E2%80%98Learner%27%20Mindset ⠀#learning #leadership
TLP209: The Art of Possible - Stepping Out of the TLP209: The Art of Possible - Stepping Out of the Present to See the Future ⠀Our latest episode with Mark Johnson https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp209-the-art-of-possible-stepping-out-of-the-present-to-see-the-future/⠀#leadership #podcast
TLP284: How to Thrive in a World of Relentless Cha TLP284: How to Thrive in a World of Relentless Change ⠀Our latest episode with April Rinne https://bit.ly/TLP-284?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP284%3A%20How%20to%20Thrive%20in%20a%20World%20of%20Relentless%20Change ⠀#leadership #change
TLP205: Grandstanding - The Use and Abuse of Moral TLP205: Grandstanding - The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk ⠀Our latest episode with Justin Tosi https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp205-grandstanding-the-use-and-abuse-of-moral-talk/⠀#leadership #podcast
TLP278: Passive-Aggression is Toxic ⠀ Our latest TLP278: Passive-Aggression is Toxic ⠀Our latest episode with Jim and Jan https://bit.ly/TLP-278?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP278%3A%20Passive-Aggression%20is%20Toxic ⠀#conflict #leadership #passiveaggressive
TLP256: Don’t Wait ⠀ Our latest episode with B TLP256: Don’t Wait ⠀Our latest episode with Bo Brabo https://bit.ly/TLP-256 ⠀#leadership
TLP226: Balancing Career & Family Responsibilities TLP226: Balancing Career & Family Responsibilities - with General Lori Robinson ⠀Our latest episode with Gen. Lori Robinson http://bit.ly/TLP-226 ⠀#leadership #career #family #work-life-balance
TLP216: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the P TLP216: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them with Gary Hamel ⠀Our latest episode with Gary Hamel https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp216-creating-organizations-as-amazing-as-the-people-inside-them-with-gary-hamel/⠀#leadership #podcast
TLP213: How to Combat Leadership Bullies ⠀ Our l TLP213: How to Combat Leadership Bullies ⠀Our latest episode with Chris Kolenda https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp213-how-to-combat-leadership-bullies/⠀#leadership #podcast
TLP253: New Thinking on Cultivating Talent ⠀ Our TLP253: New Thinking on Cultivating Talent ⠀Our latest episode with Stephen Bailey http://bit.ly/TLP-253 ⠀#leadership #talent
TLP250: Passion is Powerful & Blinding ⠀ Our lat TLP250: Passion is Powerful & Blinding ⠀Our latest episode with Steve Smith http://bit.ly/TLP-250 ⠀#leadership #nonprofit #associations #passion
TLP275: Why We Want What We Want ⠀ Our latest ep TLP275: Why We Want What We Want ⠀Our latest episode with Luke Burgis https://bit.ly/TLP271 ⠀#leadership
A Leader's Impact Persists #mlk #leadership #legac A Leader's Impact Persists #mlk #leadership #legacy
TLP211: Silence Says So Much ⠀ Our latest episod TLP211: Silence Says So Much ⠀Our latest episode with Jim & Jan https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp211-silence-says-so-much/⠀#leadership #podcast
TLP280: Fearless Negotiation Strategies for Everyd TLP280: Fearless Negotiation Strategies for Everyday Life ⠀Our latest episode with Victoria Medvec https://bit.ly/TLP-280?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP280%3A%20Fearless%20Negotiation%20Strategies%20for%20Everyday%20Life ⠀#negotiation #leadership
TLP255: Love ‘em or Lose ‘em ⠀ Our latest ep TLP255: Love ‘em or Lose ‘em ⠀Our latest episode with Dr. Beverly Kaye http://bit.ly/TLP-255 ⠀#leadership
TLP207: Finding Common Ground ⠀ Our latest episo TLP207: Finding Common Ground ⠀Our latest episode with Brian Ahearn https://theleadershippodcast.com/tlp207-finding-common-ground/⠀#leadership #podcast
TLP257: The CEO Test ⠀ Our latest episode with A TLP257: The CEO Test ⠀Our latest episode with Adam Bryant http://bit.ly/TLP-257 ⠀#CEO #leadership
TLP265: Ram Charan - Six New Rules for Leaders ⠀ TLP265: Ram Charan - Six New Rules for Leaders ⠀Our latest episode with Ram Charan https://bit.ly/TLP-265 ⠀#leadership
TLP279: How to Attract Talent and Absolutely Win L TLP279: How to Attract Talent and Absolutely Win Lifelong Fans ⠀Our latest episode with Jon Picoult https://bit.ly/TLP-279?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=westudyleaders&utm_content=TLP279%3A%20How%20to%20Attract%20Talent%20and%20Absolutely%20Win%20Lifelong%20Fans ⠀#CX #customerexperience #leadership
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Recent Posts

  • TLP343: Just Start
  • TLP342: Fight the Default Energy of ‘No’
  • TLP341: The Interplay Between Finance, Data and Decision-Making
  • TLP340: An Entrepreneurial Journey from Hangry to Social Change
  • TLP339: The Beauty of the Game

Recent Comments

  • Anonymous on TLP175: Leadership at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works
  • Anonymous on TLP175: Leadership at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works
  • Anonymous on TLP207: Finding Common Ground
  • Anonymous on TLP047: Insights on How Individual Self-Awareness Affects Team Performance
  • Anonymous on TLP047: Insights on How Individual Self-Awareness Affects Team Performance

Tags

assumptions athletics business change coaching comedy communication corporate crucible culture Curiosity education entrepreneur entrepreneurial financial fitness healthcare hiring history humor innovation interview Jim & Jan leader leadership mentoring military neuroscience Patagonia philosophy podcaster practitioner productivity relationships sales science speaker sports stories team development teamwork thought leader time trust veterans

Copyright © 2023 Rafti Advisors, LLC & Self-Reliant Leadership, LLC - All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy