Why ‘Proven’ Doesn’t Cut It Anymore (And How My Toddler Daughter Has ‘proven’ This)

It makes decision making easier, and we're more comfortable with it. We feel like we're doing the right thing by checking the qualification, the certificate, or past results.

But hang on, what does 'proven' really mean?

Doesn't it mean 'proven in the past'?
Doesn't it mean 'proven under a specific set of circumstances?'
Doesn't it mean, 'proven in a world which no longer exists?'

So how's something that's 'proven' going to perform when moving ahead once the game has changed? And why are so many large 'proven' organisations and industries unstable and falling apart?

Things change so fast these days, I'm coming to think that 'proven' has a very short life span. It could mislead you down the wrong career or business path. 'Proven' might not be the best decision. 'Proven' is beginning to prove that it's no longer a robust strategy.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm an Civil engineer by degree (it's proven, although don't trust me to build you a bridge) and I love to measure things, re-engineer them, see what works and make things work better. Particularly when it comes to people. But I can't get away from the fact that these days, if you continue to do what's proven, you're going to get EATEN ALIVE by your competition.

If Larry Page and Sergey Brin were held back by decision makers who just wanted 'proven', then how would Google have ever taken off? And what about the folks at Twitter? Was the success of Twitter a high certainty based on 'proven'? Not at all. They didn't even really intend it to be what it is now. They built the platform and the users got creative and increased its value.

And how likely is it that these people create a new winning product or service that takes the world over, just because they 'proved' themselves in the past? They might. People will back them for sure. But what's the unproven competitor doing meanwhile, passionately working on his laptop in his garage with nothing much to lose by introducing his project to the world? Maybe he's about to reset how the industry works?

Many famous actors are 'proven', but I heard recently that on average even the very best actors do only 3 great movies in their career. So do you put these 'proven' actors in your next movie? Will that produce a box office hit? Or do you bet on a new movie that's unproven and totally unique that people will talk about?

Are You Qualified to Perform Well?

What do your qualifications really mean? Do they mean that you'll excel in your career? Do they make you an innovator, a leader, or a great problem solver? Or are you trained and awarded to do things in a way that was once done, under criteria that was once thought of, when things were once as they were?

In the next few years, are you going to get your employer out of the stick they're in? Does your certificate mean that you'll eat your competition alive? Or does it just mean that once, you learned some information and sat an exam, and you happened to be able to recall it, organise it a little and get it down on paper? And how do you apply what you learned for that qualification under pressure when it really matters? Are you going to get the results tomorrow, when things are different, that people are betting on? Sorry, what exactly have you proven again?

"Qualifications prove that you can learn!" I hear some of you say. Well, whoopee. My toddler daughter has proven that too. Actually probably more remarkably so than many certificate holders. Maybe I should stick some extra letters after her name? No, she doesn't need the letters, her behaviour turns heads in public and makes people talk (in a nice way). And she's being highly innovative and applying what she learns right now, on the job. I wonder when that gets drummed out of her? I wonder when a certificate or something 'proven' gives her a sense of accomplishment that stops her in her tracks as the rest of the world progresses around her?

How about increasing your 'luck' and rewards in your work (and life) and going for, say, 80% proven and 20% innovative + promising?

Right, it's Friday, I'm off out to my local Thai restaurant to have my usual. Just kidding.

Posted via email from Get Sorted Now