"Mission: Impossible":
How to Successfully Accomplish It
Who and why might need to read this? Let start with “who.” There are three categories of readers who might be interested in a novel way to accomplish the “Mission: Impossible”: Leaders, Facilitators and Curious. Why? Here, we consider how in the future the Facilitators might enable the Leaders who face complicated “impossible” tasks to handle them. Hence, the different interests. Curious readers want to know the future, Leaders need to know how to accomplish the “impossible” tasks, while Facilitators are interested in the novel ways to handle these tasks.
Actually, there is nothing new. Many Leaders are already facing the “impossible” tasks, and there are many ways to handle them. Let us expose the trade secret of consultants and facilitators: most of these “ways” are not reliable. For different reasons. We, on the other hand, made an attempt to design the approach that guarantees the success in handling the “impossible” tasks. Moreover, while designing this approach we insisted that it should consume minimal cognitive efforts on the side of facilitated experts.
By the way, why do we enclose word impossible in quotation marks? These tasks are impossible to accomplish, at least experts assigned to them think so. Not because they are insufficiently professional, quite opposite! Thy think so precisely for their high professionalism. We, on the other hand, think that these tasks can be accomplished. Moreover, we know where to look for the guaranteed ways to accomplish them. Hence, the quotation marks.
What are the main unique features that differentiate our approach from its analogs? There are three of them.
First, suggested approach guarantees finding the feasible ways to accomplish the “impossible” tasks.
Second, experts while finding and implementing the ways should expend minimal cognitive effort. It means they should use their habitual way of thinking and their available knowledge, i.e. “fast thinking,” while developing the solutions they couldn’t reveal previously.
Third, the approach described here resolve the “unsolvable” dilemma caused by perception that complexity of thinking needed to find a way to accomplish the “impossible” task should match the complexity of situation that made this task “impossible.”
Why the task became “impossible”? The complexity of situation exceeded the professional capabilities of experts. In order to resolve this issue, the experts should use appropriately complex thinking approaches, right? Hence, the dilemma: thinking approaches that are easy to use, such as Brainstorming, cannot produce the needed results, while thinking approaches capable of producing the needed result, such as Classical TRIZ, are very difficult to use.
Why this dilemma seems unsolvable? Amount of information grows exponentially, but human capacities to acquire and exchange the knowledge are limited. The major limitation is the human nature, limited human capability to learn, understand and utilize knowledge.
Human nature won’t change in nearest future. However, we need to improve the human abilities to perform the intellectual job. This is the essence of this dilemma.
Development of suggested approach was aimed at the following result: enable the experts, with use of “simple” thinking, find solutions to complex problems they could not solve previously. This is our way to “peek beyond the horizon,” foresee the future. The small piece of future is now in your hands.
So, what is in it for you, dear reader? To each their own.
Leader can find out that many “impossible” tasks could be accomplished with success. With this knowledge, you know who to ask for help. Thus, you can accomplish the “impossible” task in time and in compliance with requirements and limitations. As a result, you gain the competitive advantage. How? Your situation is not unique, other Leaders face the same task earlier or later. Their experts, as well as yours, conclude that it is impossible. Even if they use available approaches to find solution, they might fail. You, on the other hand, are guaranteed to find it.
What benefits this competitive advantage could bring to you and your company? Hope, you know that better. Promotion, respect, improvement of social status are the most obvious personal benefits. Your company can win the competition, strengthen its position in the market and in Value Chain.
Before deciding, take into consideration that risk has a price. What would you lose if you fail to accomplish the “impossible” task? What is the cost of doing nothing? What would you gain if accomplish it? The range between gain and loss is the “cost of issue.” This is your return on investment of intellectual effort. Compare the cost of issue with your investment in finding and implementing the solution. If ROI is sufficient, act. If not, better do nothing. Decision is yours!
Facilitator will find here the same: how to succeed in finding the solutions to clients’ “impossible” tasks. Hope, the opportunity to guarantee your clients success would attract you. Not only say that you guarantee, but to achieve this success in short time, with minimal cognitive effort. Nice opportunity, isn’t it?
What advantage would you get with such new capability? Reduced project duration. Guaranteed result that complies with requirements and limitations. As a result, you gain the competitive advantage, as well: your colleagues in similar situations would need more time, and their approaches do not guarantee the successful results. Hence, you can run more projects, increase your success rate with much less cognitive effort.
Your professional reputation, relevance and income would grow. Is it worth time and effort spent for learning and mastering the new approach? Think and decide.
Curious reader can join us and peek into the future: how the tasks that are today “impossible” and “creative” could be accomplished without any “creativeness,” by transparent and logical process consuming minimal cognitive effort of its participants.
Probably, you find an idea of acquiring the “profession from future,” becoming the facilitator of accomplishing the “impossible” tasks, quite attractive. Think about that before it’s too late. Why “before it’s too late”? So far, there is no competition in this profession. You can take the lead without need to hustle. When this profession becomes popular, it would be too difficult to elevate your position.
What is good in this profession? You help people, enable them. What could be better? You enable the Leaders to accomplish the “impossible” tasks they are facing. You enable the experts to overcome the barriers erected by their own expertise and preventing them from accomplishing the seemingly impossible tasks. You help many other people who benefit from accomplished tasks. You do it while expending minimal cognitive efforts, both yours and experts’.
We offer you an opportunity to exchange your current profession for profession from future. An opportunity to achieve unbelievable heights in this profession, without any competition. An opportunity to become a pioneer. Can you become a pioneer in your current profession? Hardly.
What would you gain from that? Fast carrier. Unique capability to deal only with best people, those who have enough courage to say honestly, while looking directly in your eyes, “I do need your help!” It is no small feat.
As a result, respect and high status, indescribable sense of success and involvement in the future. Trust us, it is worth time and effort invested in learning and mastering the new profession.
Moreover, there is no risk at all. This transition to the new profession does not take a leap, rather several small steps.
First, make sure the suggested approach works. For this purpose, when you face the really impossible task, suggest your boss to invite the seasoned facilitator who practices this approach (not any facilitator!). Participate in the project, test every step, and then decide if this profession fits you.
Second, negotiate with your boss and take the training. Learn how to use the approach, develop some initial skills. Then, give it a try in your company. Experienced facilitators will coach and support your efforts and help you to accumulate necessary experience.
Then, you decide whether or not you would like to become such a professional.
Little risk, big benefits. Make your choice!
Contents:
Introduction. What is the "Mission: Impossible"?
CHAPTER II. Mission and Contradiction
CHAPTER III. Ways to Resolve the Contradiction
Summary. How to Accomplish the "Mission: Impossible"