“Hang out with weird, and thou shall become more weirder” Tom Peters once said when advising on how you can become more creative. This will always be true because something you can bet on not changing in the future is human nature.
Hanging out with weird will expose you to different perspectives and habits; which are key for creativity. And, as you know, innovation is the opposite of business as usual. For you, then, the question is “How might we create an environment where weird flourishes in our organization?”
I rarely read a business book nowadays, but a few weeks ago I saw that “Weird Ideas That Work” by Bob Sutton was $1.99 and I bought it 🙂 The ideas in the book are counterintuitive, which makes them “weird” in the context of standard management practices.
With that said, here’s a quick summary of the 11 and a half ideas from “Weird Ideas That Work” by Bob Sutton.
- Hire people who make you a little uncomfortable: Seek out diverse perspectives and those who challenge the status quo.
- Embrace a mix of the experienced and inexperienced: A blend of fresh eyes and seasoned insights brings a unique dynamic.
- The best way to manage is a mix of micromanaging and leaving people alone: Find a balance between oversight when needed and letting individuals excel autonomously.
- Embrace constructive conflict: Disagreements and debates fuel problem-solving and better outcomes.
- Run lots of experiments, most will fail: Innovation requires iteration and learning from both successes and failures; there is no innovation without experimentation.
- Reward both successful and failed projects (but punish inaction): Celebrate intelligent risk-taking and the journey, not just perfect outcomes.
- Have lots of informal meetings and spontaneous interactions: Ditch excessive scheduling and allow space for organic idea generation.
- Immerse yourself in different worlds to stimulate ideas: Seek inspiration beyond your typical industry or comfort zone.
- “Speed” may be your most important competitive weapon: Agility and the ability to adjust quickly are invaluable in today’s market.
- “Good enough” beats the ever-pursued perfection: A bias toward action and getting things out into the world can be superior to endless tweaking.
- 1/2. Sometimes you shouldn’t hire the best and brightest: Prioritize attitude and team fit in some situations to ensure healthy group dynamics.
Here’s how you can apply each of Sutton’s “weird” ideas with actionable steps:
1. Hire people who make you a little uncomfortable:
- Example: A technically brilliant candidate with a slightly abrasive personality vs. someone with less experience but a collaborative mindset.
- Action: Reassess your interview questions, instead of just technical skills, and probe for signs of adaptability, willingness to learn, and self-awareness. Be open to someone who might not perfectly fit your preconceived image of an ideal candidate.
2. Embrace a mix of the experienced and inexperienced:
- Example: Building a team with seasoned veterans, but also including a recent graduate with a unique perspective.
- Action: Be intentional about team composition. Avoid a team filled only with people from similar backgrounds or experience levels. Look for opportunities to add a fresh voice, potentially through cross-department collaboration or internships
3. The best way to manage is a mix of micromanaging and leaving people alone:
- Example: Offering close guidance for complex new tasks, then stepping back to let employees run once they understand the goals.
- Action: Assess your default management style. Are you too hands-off or always hovering? Adjust based on individual competency and project phase. Regularly ask for feedback from team members on your management style.
4. Embrace constructive conflict:
- Example: Instead of shutting down initial disagreement, facilitate open discussion focusing on the problem, not the personalities.
- Action: Model this behavior in meetings. Be the one who asks, “Is there an opposing viewpoint here we haven’t explored?” or “Let’s try playing devil’s advocate for a moment.”
5. Run lots of experiments, most will fail:
- Example: Encouraging quick, low-stakes prototypes of solutions or testing alternative marketing messages.
- Action: Introduce the idea of “Innovation Hours” where team members get dedicated time to try unproven ideas. Make a space or board for tracking these experiments to normalize ‘smart’ failures.
6. Reward both successful and failed projects (but punish inaction):
- Example: Recognizing teams for their process and lessons learned, even if a project didn’t fully achieve its goals
- Action: Review your performance criteria. Does it only reward wins, or does it acknowledge effort and intelligent risk-taking? Publicly commend teams willing to share insights from failed projects.
7. Lots of informal meetings & spontaneous interactions:
- Example: Ditch back-to-back meeting days, and keep some ‘open’ time for chance encounters and conversations.
- Action: If your workplace is remote, try “virtual coffee chats” or a channel dedicated to non-work conversation to foster connection. If in-person, redesign shared spaces to be more inviting.
8. Immerse yourself in different worlds to stimulate ideas:
- Example: Attend a conference outside your field, read an industry publication you normally wouldn’t.
- Action: Set aside dedicated time (even an hour a week) for intentional exploration. Share one intriguing find with your team to spark cross-pollination.
9. “Speed” may be your most important competitive weapon:
- Example: Launch a minimum viable product (MVP) to get real-world feedback instead of endlessly perfecting it.
- Action: Analyze your processes. Where are the bottlenecks slowing you down? Challenge the need for endless approvals or layers of revision.
10. “Good enough” beats the ever-pursued perfection:
- Example: A/B test an imperfect but live marketing campaign vs. spending months tweaking it.
- Action: Identify one area where perfect is the enemy of progress. Set a deadline for a “good enough” launch and see what happens.
11 1/2. Sometimes you shouldn’t hire the best and brightest:
- Example: In a high-stakes team needing tight collaboration, a superstar with an ego might be less valuable than someone with good skills and a team-player mentality.
- Action: During interviews, pay close attention to behavioral questions about dealing with setbacks and collaborating with others.
Bottom line: Sutton emphasizes that these ‘weird’ ideas often need to exist in tension with traditional management practices to create environments where innovation thrives. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It’s not about being weird for weirdness’ sake, but about being willing to question and rethink conventional approaches to problem-solving and performance.
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