Organizational Disruption or Change? Don't Let Your Launch Points Go to Waste

Robert Pasin was 23 years old. He had just returned to Radio Flyer, the family business he had grown up working in and a brand he loved.

His dad was the company's CEO, and unfortunately, Radio Flyer faced declining sales, mounting debt, and no profit. 

Robert was inexperienced but found himself in all sorts of meetings and discussions he would never have been in elsewhere. He was eager to learn and try new things. And because the company was in crisis, he could do just that.  

Robert took on more and more responsibility, solving problems and dealing with them effectively, always maintaining the company's values. 

He did this continually over the coming months and years, and eventually, Robert ascended to the position of CEO.

When Robert joined me on the Disrupt Yourself podcast, he shared a Winston Churchill quote, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." While he didn't know the quote at the time, the sentiment rings true for Robert's early experience at the company. 

He reflected that many times in business, when things are going great, and somebody says, "Hey, why are we doing this? Or we should change this," there is a lot of resistance. 

But when the ship is sinking, not only can you make changes—you have to. You can mobilize people and get everyone's attention very quickly.

Whether or not a company is in crisis, organizations have much to learn from people who question the status quo. And fortunately, everyone naturally falls into this stage at some point or another—when they are at the beginning of a growth journey, at the Launch Point on an S Curve™. 

The Launch Point is the first phase along the S Curve—the model that maps the predictable way individuals experience growth. The Launch Point is the beginning of something new where we are grasping for knowledge.

While often very exciting, the Launch Point is a challenging place to be. It can feel slow, even discouraging. It's not that growth isn't happening—it may not yet be apparent. 

Our team members at the Launch Point also are aware that their work output falls short in comparison to their more experienced colleagues. They are learning the ropes but aren't up to speed yet. They ask 100 questions a day. 

While time-intensive from a management perspective, their questions are the key to impactful change. They lead us to think in new ways. 

The Launch Point offers a new perspective that can lead to innovative ideas.

When a new hire asks, "Why do we do it this way?" if the response is, "Because that's the way we've always done it," it's time to re-evaluate your process. But, because the system works well enough as is, we are unlikely to re-evaluate it without the instigation of a question.

By collaborating with Launch Point colleagues and being open to their questions, we can avoid getting stuck in habitual practices. Moreover, these colleagues contribute fresh perspectives derived from their own backgrounds, enriching our problem-solving processes.

It is crucial for the well-being of our teams that we don't rush the Launch Point, even though it may feel slow. Rather than being eager to increase their productivity, we should embrace the questions and fresh concepts brought in by our new colleagues.

To borrow from Winston Churchill, we should never let a good Launch Point go to waste. 

How can you embrace the Launch Points and Launch Point colleagues in your life? 

What habitual practices should you re-evaluate?

How has disruption, change, or crisis allowed you to grow?