From the opening of the book Wrong Until Right – How to Succeed Despite Relentless Change:
Relentless.
Accelerating.
Disruptive.
Turbulent.
Unprecedented.
All these descriptions – and more like them – have been used to describe change in today’s world. And no more so than in the business world.
That level and type of change brings with it uncertainty and risk, reducing our ability to confidently and preemptively determine what we must do to succeed.
In the past, business leaders have been accustomed to being able to predict what actions were needed – to be “right” in their decisions and how they lead. Unfortunately, this mindset is becoming increasingly ineffective in today’s world.
To succeed, leaders must now change their approach from “right until wrong” to “wrong until right.”
“Wrong” in this context does not mean poor judgment or action. “Wrong” means that despite trying well, we still may encounter errors due to high rates of change and not enough knowledge to determine what will be “right” at the time our product or service reaches the marketplace. Rather than sticking to some pre-determined path, we make incremental corrections and use interim “wrongs” to eventually get to “right.”
“Right until wrong” … “wrong until right” … sound like subtle word play but represent the difference needed to win in today’s business world.