WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.920 Today, we're going to talk about how to use forcing functions to grow your business. 2 00:00:06.920 --> 00:00:09.680 You might ask, well, what's a forcing function? 3 00:00:09.680 --> 00:00:12.400 To best illustrate this, let me tell you a story. 4 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:18.300 When we were first learning to run virtual conferences for our organization, it acted 5 00:00:18.300 --> 00:00:20.780 as a forcing function. 6 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:24.040 We felt we needed many months lead up time. 7 00:00:24.040 --> 00:00:28.760 We found there were so many things we didn't know about how to run a virtual conference. 8 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:31.000 We'd never done that before. 9 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:34.000 And we certainly haven't done it on that scale. 10 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:39.960 To do that, we had to go and commit to a world-class studio who could facilitate this and take 11 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:42.120 us through the entire process. 12 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:48.000 Second, we had to commit to an incredibly aggressive time frame that seemed, honestly, 13 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:49.760 seemed impossible. 14 00:00:49.760 --> 00:00:52.160 We were wondering, why are we doing this? 15 00:00:52.160 --> 00:00:57.780 The third thing is, in that process, because we were being so forced in such a short period 16 00:00:57.780 --> 00:01:00.820 of time, we had to get our message straight. 17 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:04.980 We had to learn, how do we actually promote this event? 18 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:10.900 And what was almost the most difficult thing to do was to figure out who the right fit 19 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:13.460 client was for the event. 20 00:01:13.460 --> 00:01:16.420 A lot of people would say, well, let's just get a lot of people there and figure out what 21 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:17.420 to sell them. 22 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:23.820 But in a previous training, we learned that we start with the customer and work backwards. 23 00:01:23.820 --> 00:01:26.580 So we had to say, what was the customer's need? 24 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.380 Now, here's how strange this was. 25 00:01:29.380 --> 00:01:34.900 When we first launched this, we had, at that time, a $20 a month subscription to an app 26 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:36.660 that we offered. 27 00:01:36.660 --> 00:01:39.820 And we naturally thought, well, we'll offer that again. 28 00:01:39.820 --> 00:01:44.660 But as we got into it and started to figure out, but hang on a second, who is this for? 29 00:01:44.660 --> 00:01:50.780 We realized that there were many people in our community that wanted leadership development 30 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:52.100 products. 31 00:01:52.100 --> 00:01:56.540 And so we went from a $20 a month subscription was going to be the offer. 32 00:01:56.540 --> 00:02:03.380 And we flipped it to a $5,000 leadership program that met once a week for 40 weeks. 33 00:02:03.380 --> 00:02:05.660 Now that was still a cheap product by comparison. 34 00:02:05.660 --> 00:02:11.039 But for us, having never done that before, this was a real forcing function. 35 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:16.500 We were being forced into a whole new space we had never been before. 36 00:02:16.500 --> 00:02:20.500 Not only did we have to then figure out, well, then, who should be at the event? 37 00:02:20.500 --> 00:02:22.940 How do we get to those right fit clients? 38 00:02:22.940 --> 00:02:25.260 What language resonates with them? 39 00:02:25.260 --> 00:02:26.900 What are they looking for now? 40 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:28.300 Who's servicing them now? 41 00:02:28.300 --> 00:02:30.300 And how can we service them better? 42 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:34.580 And the questions just literally overwhelmed us. 43 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:38.540 Then once we figured out who's going to be there, we had to figure out, how do we make 44 00:02:38.540 --> 00:02:41.860 an offer in a way that fits our culture? 45 00:02:41.860 --> 00:02:46.180 We have some unique elements to our culture in the way we approach leadership. 46 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:49.740 And so we want to make sure it fit our own culture. 47 00:02:49.740 --> 00:02:55.060 And we had to then make sure that the product we provided, that leadership training experience, 48 00:02:55.060 --> 00:02:57.220 would exceed all expectations. 49 00:02:57.220 --> 00:03:02.500 Well, I'm happy to tell you that after four years of doing this, the first three years, 50 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:08.460 we've had over 92% rating of exceeded expectations. 51 00:03:08.460 --> 00:03:09.980 How did we get there? 52 00:03:09.980 --> 00:03:15.180 Well, when you're thinking about innovation, when you're thinking about scaling and growing 53 00:03:15.220 --> 00:03:21.180 your business, you realize that all innovation needs at least one constraint. 54 00:03:21.180 --> 00:03:25.460 Even if you have the resources and the talent, you need time as a constraint. 55 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:30.820 So sometimes artificially putting it in a short period of time helps you supercharge 56 00:03:30.820 --> 00:03:34.420 and drive that to a whole new level. 57 00:03:34.420 --> 00:03:38.820 Some of the most innovative, creative things come when you have very little time. 58 00:03:38.820 --> 00:03:43.300 You may remember this from your college days when that paper that was due was left to the 59 00:03:43.300 --> 00:03:48.740 last moment and suddenly a surge of innovation and creativity came and you pulled it off 60 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:50.100 anyway. 61 00:03:50.100 --> 00:03:54.860 So it can be a talent constraint or a resource constraint or a time constraint. 62 00:03:54.860 --> 00:03:59.940 Whatever it is, it needs something we call a forcing function. 63 00:03:59.940 --> 00:04:01.780 Now think of it like this. 64 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:06.140 If you're thinking of a graph mathematically, how do you suddenly step change up and move 65 00:04:06.140 --> 00:04:07.140 to a new level? 66 00:04:07.140 --> 00:04:11.540 How do you go up the step in a very short period of time, jump to a whole different 67 00:04:11.540 --> 00:04:12.540 level? 68 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:16.980 Now you're here and the transition is very short. 69 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:23.860 You know, when we did this particular event to run our first event, we learned very quickly 70 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:27.420 that sometimes forcing functions are a great gift. 71 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:28.420 Why? 72 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:35.540 Well, they provide clarity and what the forcing function does is it gives permission to do 73 00:04:35.540 --> 00:04:38.940 whatever it takes to get the deliverable done. 74 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:43.700 And so, you know, the negative aspects that exist in the business are immediately flushed 75 00:04:43.700 --> 00:04:47.820 out because you have to get to the core issue and get there quickly. 76 00:04:47.820 --> 00:04:54.700 And so it highlights our weaknesses in leadership, in teams, in products, in systems, in our 77 00:04:54.700 --> 00:04:55.900 thinking. 78 00:04:55.900 --> 00:04:59.980 One of the things forcing functions are great at is the reason you function at this level. 79 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.760 this level and not that level are all these weakness areas. 80 00:05:04.760 --> 00:05:08.160 And what's amazing is, you know, as we step up, 81 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.760 the forcing function then requires very clear decision 82 00:05:11.760 --> 00:05:14.440 making and commitment from the whole team. 83 00:05:14.440 --> 00:05:17.480 It's not just the leader with their knee in everybody's 84 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:20.200 backs trying to force him to make it all happen. 85 00:05:20.200 --> 00:05:23.200 What it is, is the whole team buying in and say, 86 00:05:23.200 --> 00:05:25.240 guys, what if we pull this off? 87 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:27.160 What if we actually do this? 88 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:29.880 How amazing would that be? 89 00:05:29.880 --> 00:05:34.200 And so, forcing functions open up a whole new level 90 00:05:34.200 --> 00:05:39.040 of innovation and organizational up-leveling. 91 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:42.440 You suddenly find collaboration, coordination, 92 00:05:42.440 --> 00:05:45.200 because we're all trying to deliver this close 93 00:05:45.200 --> 00:05:50.760 on impossible goal in this very short period of time. 94 00:05:50.760 --> 00:05:55.000 And so, organizations then shift to this whole new level 95 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:58.520 as a result of this forcing function. 96 00:05:58.520 --> 00:06:01.320 This forcing function creates a clarity 97 00:06:01.320 --> 00:06:05.480 and accelerates all the processes in the organization. 98 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:08.240 It may not feel pleasant at the time, 99 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:11.520 but afterwards, the state of exhilaration 100 00:06:11.520 --> 00:06:14.480 and people are just feeling euphoric of, 101 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:16.240 look what we pulled off. 102 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:19.080 You know, even we weren't 100% sure we could do it, 103 00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:21.080 and yet we did it. 104 00:06:21.080 --> 00:06:23.800 Now, how do you know it's a forcing function? 105 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:27.080 Well, the first thing is, it sounds unreasonable. 106 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:29.880 And secondly, it sounds unattainable. 107 00:06:29.880 --> 00:06:32.040 Both the time frame is unreasonable 108 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:33.880 and the height at which you're trying to jump 109 00:06:33.880 --> 00:06:35.480 seems unattainable. 110 00:06:36.520 --> 00:06:39.600 And, you know, as you step into that new place 111 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.320 and you up-level, what you find very quickly 112 00:06:43.320 --> 00:06:45.520 is to hold that new position 113 00:06:45.520 --> 00:06:48.000 so you just don't fall back to where you were 114 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:51.320 requires three big changes. 115 00:06:51.320 --> 00:06:53.760 Number one, a change in your systems. 116 00:06:53.760 --> 00:06:56.160 Sometimes you have to create new systems 117 00:06:56.200 --> 00:06:59.800 to hold that new position, that new customer service, 118 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:03.440 that new sales system, that new marketing system, 119 00:07:03.440 --> 00:07:06.200 you know, that new product development, 120 00:07:06.200 --> 00:07:09.560 manufacturing, whatever that new system is. 121 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:11.640 Number two, team. 122 00:07:11.640 --> 00:07:14.080 Sometimes you have to move your team around 123 00:07:14.080 --> 00:07:16.520 or bring in new hires or release others. 124 00:07:16.520 --> 00:07:18.400 You have to make the adjustments 125 00:07:18.400 --> 00:07:20.760 because the team that brought you here 126 00:07:20.760 --> 00:07:24.560 are usually not the same team that can hold it here. 127 00:07:24.600 --> 00:07:27.840 And so you have to up-level some of your team members. 128 00:07:27.840 --> 00:07:30.520 Maybe you've been holding back for a while 129 00:07:30.520 --> 00:07:32.960 on stepping up as a team member yourself. 130 00:07:32.960 --> 00:07:35.720 Remember, we're a team of leaders. 131 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:37.640 It's not just a team with a leader. 132 00:07:37.640 --> 00:07:39.280 So as we're thinking about that, 133 00:07:39.280 --> 00:07:41.280 how do I need to step up 134 00:07:41.280 --> 00:07:44.920 and what am I willing to take on as a team member? 135 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:46.480 And number three, culture. 136 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:49.320 You know, this is what we have to do. 137 00:07:49.320 --> 00:07:51.880 We have to not only up-level, 138 00:07:51.880 --> 00:07:54.840 but we have to make the new level our new normal. 139 00:07:54.840 --> 00:07:57.240 Remember all that collaboration, 140 00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:58.800 all that working together, 141 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:00.720 all that helping one another out, 142 00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:02.720 getting rid of all the negative weaknesses 143 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:04.960 in our structure, in our systems? 144 00:08:04.960 --> 00:08:09.720 Now, as a culture, we get to agree this is the new normal. 145 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:11.400 We don't go back to the old. 146 00:08:11.400 --> 00:08:13.920 We now stay on the new. 147 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:15.320 You know, as we've gone through this, 148 00:08:15.320 --> 00:08:16.760 I gave you this example 149 00:08:16.760 --> 00:08:19.960 of us running Brilliance Conference for the first time. 150 00:08:19.960 --> 00:08:22.680 We had to make senior changes, 151 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:25.120 you know, to our senior level in our team. 152 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:28.720 We had to come up with an entire leadership product 153 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:30.840 and go through an early release. 154 00:08:30.840 --> 00:08:32.440 You know, even if we weren't sure 155 00:08:32.440 --> 00:08:33.880 it was necessarily the best quality, 156 00:08:33.880 --> 00:08:35.520 we knew where we were going to start. 157 00:08:35.520 --> 00:08:38.520 We had, you know, we had laid out the 40 weeks, 158 00:08:38.520 --> 00:08:42.520 but there was a lot of detail that didn't exist at the time, 159 00:08:42.520 --> 00:08:44.760 but we built it as we went. 160 00:08:44.760 --> 00:08:47.280 And we had to change our overhead. 161 00:08:47.280 --> 00:08:49.160 We had to focus our overhead 162 00:08:49.160 --> 00:08:51.360 on delivering this core product 163 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:54.520 and not necessarily being focused on other things, 164 00:08:54.520 --> 00:08:57.000 which meant stopping certain things 165 00:08:57.000 --> 00:08:58.920 that existed in the business. 166 00:08:58.920 --> 00:09:01.320 You know, we had to prune out, you know, 167 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:04.080 the dead parts of the rosebush, right? 168 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:05.840 We had to get rid of the weak roses, 169 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:07.880 and we had to push all the resources 170 00:09:07.880 --> 00:09:10.280 into the very best roses. 171 00:09:10.280 --> 00:09:12.760 And finally, the financing side. 172 00:09:12.760 --> 00:09:14.360 We had to make sure they were able 173 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:17.400 to financially pull it all off. 174 00:09:17.400 --> 00:09:20.120 So when you're thinking about a forcing function, 175 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:22.200 you know, and you want to, you know, 176 00:09:22.200 --> 00:09:24.120 take that on as a team, 177 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:27.640 you have to start what seems impossible to do, 178 00:09:27.640 --> 00:09:30.080 the height, and what seems like 179 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.120 it's absolutely unattainable and improbable. 180 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:37.200 In other words, it's too short a time to too high a jump. 181 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:39.280 That is a forcing function. 182 00:09:39.280 --> 00:09:41.920 If you take your team, if you as a team 183 00:09:41.920 --> 00:09:43.400 go through a forcing function 184 00:09:43.400 --> 00:09:44.960 and you all buy in, 185 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:47.320 you'll be amazed that your business 186 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:50.040 will take these almost step changes 187 00:09:50.040 --> 00:09:52.160 into a whole new space. 188 00:09:52.160 --> 00:09:55.680 And as you hold that space, making it the new normal, 189 00:09:55.680 --> 00:09:59.240 your business will have scaled and never go backwards. 190 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.000 Thank you for listening. I hope that was helpful.