Questioning time-tested practices

🧠 Are Best Practices Overrated? I was on a podcast today and said I loved my role because I get to write the playbook vs follow someone else's! Consider this. 🦒 Best practices are often treated as gospel—tried-and-true methods that promise stability and efficiency. But here’s the catch: they’re based on past success, not future opportunity. And if you’re aiming to innovate, disrupt, or push boundaries, best practices might actually limit you. Here’s why: 👉 Best practices reinforce the status quo. They’re designed to minimize risk and ensure predictability. That’s valuable for stability, but if your goal is to break new ground, you can’t rely solely on yesterday’s playbook. 👉 Innovation thrives on experimentation. Disruptive ideas often emerge from questioning or outright breaking best practices. Think about how Netflix eliminated late fees, Tesla bypassed traditional dealerships, or OpenAI approached AI accessibility. These companies didn’t follow—they led. 👉 Best practices can create a false sense of security. You might feel like you’re doing everything “right,” but in fast-moving industries like #AI, #blockchain, #Quantum or #Web3, what’s “right” today might already be outdated tomorrow. 👉 Context matters. What works for one company, team, or market may not work for yours. Copying success without adapting to your unique strengths or challenges often leads to mediocrity—not greatness. So, what’s the alternative? ⁉️ Rather than asking, “What are the best practices?” ask: 1. What’s never been tried before? 2. What’s unique to us? 3. How can we design for the future, not the past? 💁♀️ The takeaway: Best practices are a great starting point—but they’re not the finish line. The companies that thrive are the ones willing to break the rules, reinvent processes, and set new standards. What do you think? Are best practices holding us back, or are they still essential for growth? Share your thoughts in the comments! ⬇️

One of the most pervasive and critical errors is the uncritical acceptance of inherited systems and processes. Many leaders, believing there must be a good reason for the established way of doing things, fall into the trap of assuming their predecessors had superior insight or knowledge. This assumption, often rooted in insecurity, leads to the perpetuation of flawed processes and methodologies. Given full license to innovate, they often opt for the safer path of incremental improvements rather than daring to build anew.  This conservative approach is not just a minor misstep but a significant barrier to innovation and progress. The assumption that the existing system is inherently valuable can stifle creativity and hinder the implementation of more effective solutions. This is a recurring issue across various layers and segments within organizations. The failure to challenge the status quo and critically assess inherited structures can lead to stagnation and inefficiency. To drive true innovation and progress, technology leaders must cultivate the ability to evaluate problems with fresh eyes. This means setting aside preconceived notions and the influence of past practices to objectively assess whether current structures and approaches meet present and future needs. Leaders need to be empowered and encouraged to question inherited systems and envision new ways to achieve their goals.  The ability to break free from the past is essential for creating a culture of innovation. Encouraging a mindset that values fresh perspectives over inherited practices can lead to significant breakthroughs and drive meaningful change. By challenging outdated methods and daring to envision new approaches, organizations can create an environment where innovation thrives.

Holding the Map Upside Down to See New Paths In coaching, we often follow familiar routes—methods and approaches we’ve come to rely on because they’ve worked before. But what if we’re missing better paths by sticking to what we think we know? What if, instead of forging ahead with confidence, we need to flip the map and challenge our own perspective to uncover blind spots? Growth as a coach often requires us to rethink what we believe to be effective. It’s not about questioning our competence but recognizing that no approach is perfect and that every context brings new variables. The game evolves, players evolve, and so should we. But how often do we truly interrogate our methods? • Do we seek feedback from players or colleagues on what’s working—and more importantly, what isn’t? • When things go wrong, do we consider how our approach might have contributed, or are we quick to blame external factors like player effort or execution? • Are we actively looking for fresh ideas or perspectives that might disrupt our comfort zones? Holding the map upside down might feel uncomfortable at first—it’s natural to want certainty. But the most transformative learning often comes from questioning, re-evaluating, and even unlearning practices that no longer serve the players in front of us. This could mean: • Experimenting with different communication styles to see what resonates better with individuals. • Reevaluating session plans to ensure they align with outcomes rather than just delivering a “well-organized” session. • Asking yourself if you’re coaching players to develop long-term problem-solving abilities—or just teaching them short-term solutions. For coach developers, the challenge is even greater. If we’re not modeling this self-reflection and adaptability ourselves, how can we expect the coaches we mentor to embrace it? So, the next time you’re out on the field or working with a team, pause and consider: • What’s one aspect of my coaching I’ve never questioned but probably should? • Who could provide me with feedback that might disrupt my thinking in a meaningful way? • How can I ensure I’m not just relying on what I’ve always done but continuously evolving my practice? The best coaches aren’t the ones who claim to have all the answers but those willing to ask new questions. Turning the map upside down might just reveal paths you never knew existed. #CoachYasThoughts #CoachingPerspective #CoachDevelopment #PlayerCentred

Stop Testing the “Cut-Off Fish Tails” 🐟 A little girl once saw her mom cut off a large portion of the head and tail of a fish before cooking. When she asked why, Mom said, “That’s how my mother taught me.” Grandma gave the same answer. Finally, Great-Grandma laughed, “In 1935, my pan was too small. I had to cut the fish to make it fit.” The reason was valid then… but irrelevant now. The practice lived on because no one questioned it. In software testing, the same thing happens: We keep following a workflow, process, or approach just because “it’s how we’ve always done it.” Sometimes, we’re testing steps that are: 1. Leftovers from an older version 2. Part of a process the business no longer follows 3. Temporary fixes that became permanent habits Great testers don’t just check the box. They investigate: 1. Why is this step here? 2. Does it still serve the user? 3. Is it solving a real problem or is it just a practice that is followed? If we don’t ask, we end up spending time on “cut-off fish tails” , while missing the things that truly matter to users. What’s one outdated testing practice you’ve seen carried forward without question? #SoftwareTesting #QualityAssurance #TestMetry #QualityEngineering

A provocation: 'Best practices' are sometimes the least helpful. It's easy to want to replicate what may have worked in the past. However, transformative progress demands questioning, not copying. There are endless static repositories of best practices. Today's approaches will not satisfy tomorrow's needs or dreams. Yesterday's formulas are merely inputs—not starting points, and certainly not templates for tomorrow's world. Practitioners, let's end the grandstanding of best practices; the obsession of what worked in a different context at a different time. Widen your field of view. Avoid becoming attached to best practices. It does little more than lead to mediocrity and sloppy solutions. Instead, ask as many 'what if' questions as you can. There are no convenient ways to solve a complex puzzles. #innovation #questioning #bestpractices #futureofwork #systemschange #systemsthinking #thinking #leadership #socialimpact #impact #management

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” playbook. Especially in fast-moving industries like FMCG or retail. You’ve probably been told: “Follow best practices.” “Stick to the proven path.” “Don’t reinvent the wheel.” But here’s the truth: 📌 What works for one category flops in another. 📌 What worked last year might kill your growth this year. 📌 What’s “best practice” in one market is irrelevant in another. Real success in CPG and retail doesn’t come from copy-pasting what others did. It comes from figuring out what works for you — your market, your team, your customer. Here’s what that looks like: 1. Don’t just benchmark — ask why it worked. Context beats templates. 2. Question legacy processes — even the ones “everyone uses.” Your agility is your edge. 3. Let data challenge assumptions. But let people ground your choices. 4. Test small. Learn fast. Scale smart. Because speed without direction is noise. 5. Be brave enough to build your own blueprint. And back it up with results — not theory. So next time someone says “this is the way,” Ask: is it the way for me? 👇 What’s one “common practice” you’ve challenged — and were glad you did? #RetailStrategy #FMCGLeadership #CPGMindset #GrowthCulture #ChallengeTheNorm #ThinkForYourself #TradeMarketing #DataDrivenDecisions #BuildYourWay #LeadershipInRetail

I remember once being told, "That's just how we do things." It felt like a door was slammed shut on new ideas. In my career, I've spent years challenging this mindset. I've seen teams rethink their meeting structures, leading to more productive discussions. I've witnessed companies revamp their feedback systems, resulting in higher employee satisfaction. We can uncover more efficient, innovative, and engaging working methods by simply questioning outdated practices. I don't accept the status quo. Why should we? We need to ask tough questions to find better solutions. This mindset has led to real, tangible improvements in every project I've taken on. As a result, I love working with a team that also questions the status quo. Elixirr wouldn't be called the Challenger Consultancy if it wasn't for our mindset and approach to consulting. Ask yourself today: Are we questioning enough? Are we settling for "the way things are done" or pushing for better? What's one outdated practice you've successfully changed?