The Main Reason
You Are Still Struggling
In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and
impact
By Roberta Ryan, CPCC
My Tooth Lay in My Hand
On a beautiful, clear Friday afternoon I was sitting at my desk finishing
up some paperwork. I was relaxed and looking forward to taking a walk with
a friend. Then, I bit into a very crunchy, nutty snack bar and my right front
tooth fell into my hand.
My dentist would not be in his office until Tuesday. My mind raced as I
mentally listed all I would need to do—wrap up the tooth for safekeeping,
cancel dinner with a friend, keep my mouth closed when I took my walk!
Rage began to peek around the edges of my logical thinking because over
the past year two different dentists had worked on the tooth that lay in my
hand.
That was three years ago. Since then I have had my tooth replaced and
because of that crisis two major mysteries in my life have been answered.
The first had to do with some serious medical issues I was dealing
with. Over many years my health had continued to very slowly deteriorate.
It was not something I mentioned to anyone outside my inner circle, but I
was living in a quiet state of panic.
My memory lapses frightened me. I quizzed friends about their
experience with their parents who had Alzheimer’s. I checked online for early
onset symptoms. My doctor and I talked about my seeing a memory
specialist.
I was equally challenged physically. I had to be diligent on all aspects of
my self-care—sleep, nutrition and exercise—to be able to keep my work
agreements and earn a living. I pulled in on all levels. All of my resources
were very limited—time, money, energy—and I needed to be extremely
efficient.
© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
It turned out the bone that had held my front tooth in place had been
eaten away by an infection. A small piece of metal had broken away from
the top of a 30-year-old root canal and lodged in the bone. Slowly, over the
years the infection had grown. My symptoms all stemmed from heavy-metal
poisoning.
The first mystery was solved, but I had more to gain from the
experience.
The perseverance that was required of me during my illness provided
me with clues to something I had wondered about for over 30 years. When I
was in my late 20s I noticed that two business owners in the same
community doing the same work could have vastly different levels of
success. One was thriving and one was struggling.
I became really curious about this difference. I knew there had to be a
reason for this discrepancy and I decided to find out what it was. Over the
years I have learned about and worked with many aspects of business.
During that time I tested ideas on friends, clients and myself. My illness, and
the need to be hyper-efficient, led me to understand the link between
business success and exceptional problem-solving skills.
Problem-Solving Skills Are Key to Business Success
Whether you call it problem solving, strategic planning or decisionmaking, the process is the same—it involves spending time thinking through
the issue before a solution is selected. When you take the time to develop a
well-thought-out plan, you will get to your goals faster with more resources
left over.
Even Albert Einstein understood this approach when he said, “It is
not that I am so smart, it’s just I stay with a problem.”
My illness forced me to double down on my inherent planning
abilities. As a result I not only maneuvered effectively through my
situation, I developed the distinctive approach I use to help my clients
become successful in their businesses. My approach is rooted in becoming a
master at problem solving.
What makes my approach truly distinctive is that it is geared for
business owners who are committed to making a difference. Because of the
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
strong values and sense of mission these individuals bring to their work,
standard business problem-solving methods often don’t work for them.
Let me clarify.
Often clients hire me after they have attended businessdevelopment workshops, enrolled in online marketing webinars and hired
great professional consultants. But despite their sincerity and efforts, they
still are not making the income and impact they know is possible.
Design Thinking: A Distinctive Approach to Problem
Solving
The reason they become more successful is because I use a problemsolving or strategic-planning model called Design Thinking. It is a very
balanced approach to decision-making that gives as much weight to values,
intuition and inspiration as it does to the logic and structures we think of as
business principles.
You may not have heard about this approach before because it is so
intuitive to successful visionary business owners that it is rarely talked about
in business-development programs. Yet, it is used worldwide by all sizes of
businesses—from individuals to multinationals—to create thriving
businesses.
So, here is the really good news: The reason you are not as successful as
you would like to be is probably not for lack of trying but because the
framework you have been working within is limited. It doesn’t allow for the
complexity your values and mission bring to the business development
process.
Let me explain.
A core part of traditional business planning is based on solving a
specific problem and achieving clearly definable, measurable results. These
can be specific dollar amounts, number of clients enrolled or share of the
market captured. It allows those involved to clearly know if and when they
have achieved their goals. It has a very tidy, controllable quality to it. Linear
thinkers feel secure with this traditional perspective.
When elusive elements such as values, mission and intuitive wisdom
are included into the business process, things get messy and complex.
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
Missions such as mine—to reframe business so we all succeed—are
impossible to track. So are values such as respectful relationships with
clients, employees and vendors.
The Wicked Problem of Business Planning
As a result of these elusive elements, business planning is elevated to
what some refer to as a “wicked problem.”
Wikipedia defines a wicked problem as one “that is difficult or impossible
to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements
that are often difficult to recognize. The use of the term "wicked" here has
come to denote resistance to resolution, rather than evil. Moreover, because
of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked
problem may reveal or create other problems.”
Jeffrey Conklin in his article “Dialogue mapping: building shared
understanding of wicked problems”1 outlines the following six
characteristics of a wicked problem:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The problem is not understood until after the formulation of a solution.
Wicked problems have no stopping rule.2
Solutions to wicked problems are not right or wrong.
Every wicked problem is essentially novel and unique.
Every solution to a wicked problem is a “one shot” operation.
Wicked problems have no given alternative solutions.
Take a moment and slowly read over this list again. Do some or all of
the points sound like what you experience in your business? … Are you
beginning to see why you have been struggling?
You have been functioning within a limited view of your situation.
Stay with me while I outline the solution that will change your situation.
But first, I draw your attention back to the phrase within the Wikipedia
definition, “difficult or impossible to solve.” I know that the sense of what
1
Conklin, Jeffrey (2006). Dialogue Mapping: building shared understanding of wicked problems. Chichester, England: Wiley Publishing. ISBN 0470017686. 2
A stopping rule is when you have a clearly definable, meaurable result that indicates where to end or stop. Page 4 of 12
© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
you want to create may seem impossible. I also know this perspective is
reinforced by the culture’s norms and all of your unsuccessful efforts. But
the truth is that people just like you can be, and are, successful in
businesses that include honoring their values and ethics.
Taking the Long View
Let’s talk about the “how.” As I mentioned above, when successful
owners make decisions they give as much weight to their values, intuition
and inspiration as they do to the logic and structures we think of as business
principles. They take an expanded perspective, one of inclusion versus
holding an adversarial position.
The main principle underlying Design Thinking is the goal of a better
future instead of solving one specific goal. Built into its foundation is the
assumption of the complexity of values and heartfelt missions. It is also a
key principle within the field of Business Design. A leader in this field is
Roger Martin, an educator, author and consultant based in Toronto, Canada.
Within his book “The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the
Next Competitive Advantage”3 he discusses the following two models of
business that often feel contradictory.
•
The Analytical Thinking Model stresses the importance of logic and
quantitative analysis. The financial bottom line and the need for
actions that produce measurable outcomes are important to an
individual strong in this perspective.
•
The Intuitive Thinking Model, on the other hand, honors creativity
and innovation. The business owner strong in this mode often trusts
their gut instincts to guide them and understands that a degree of
uncertainty is part of any process.
As he explains, it is not uncommon within a business setting for these two
groups to be at odds with each other—the analytical thinkers seeing the
creative folks as naïve and unrealistic, and conversely the creative thinkers
feeling the analytical ones are not in touch with their hearts.
3
Roger Martin (2009),The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage, Boston, MA, Harvard Business Press. ISBN 9781422177808 Page 5 of 12
© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
As we all know so well, our culture rewards factual information and logical
and intellectual orientations more than it does intuitive and creative
approaches. As a result, a business owner who shares the creative thinker’s
values can feel like they live in hostile territory. Feelings of being
misunderstood, dismissed or criticized are common.
It does not have to be this way. You can take an expanded perspective
that encompasses both of the two energies, like when you adjust the flow of
hot and cold water in your faucet to get just the right temperature.
Mr. Martin explains a third, and highly successful, way of approaching
business: Design Thinking.
An Approach That Gets Results
The essence of Design Thinking is to not to discount your deeply held
values and creative distinctiveness, but to embrace them while equally
respecting the structures and disciplines of business.
This is not the cultural norm. But for those of us committed to making a
difference, this reframe ensures that what has inspired us to be in business
is taken into consideration when we make decisions.
To emphasize that Design Thinking is a well-established and successful
practice, I bring us back to Roger Martin’s work. As an educator he was
instrumental in bringing Business Design principles fully into the curriculum
at the Rothman School of Management at the University of Toronto, training
hundreds of MBA students over the years.
Within Martin’s book, “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works,”4
he and his co-author, A.G. Lafley, tell the story of how they spearheaded the
transformation of Procter & Gamble into a Design Thinking company. During
the transition, A.G. Lafley was the CEO of Proctor & Gamble.
Now let’s get real. This approach to problem solving may take longer, at
least initially, for two reasons.
4
A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin, (2013),Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works, Boston, MA, Harvard Business Review Press. ISBN 9781422187395 Page 6 of 12
© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
The first is that with a wicked problem, the focus of the issue may not
be as easy to identify. But, taking the time needed to identify the
foundational issue will yield solutions that will result in long-term sustainable
changes.
The second reason this approach may take longer is because you are
developing a new skill.
At this point I want to make a distinction between the foundational
business strategic planning I am discussing and specialized topics like
marketing, sales, finance and other equally important business skills.
If we see strategic planning as designing a house and deciding where to
place it on the property, then marketing, sales and the like are the selection
of paint colors and furniture and the landscaping process. Without a wellthought-out foundational design the choices made later will never be quite
right.
Strategic planning skills are what are used to set the foundational
direction of your business and from that solid footing you can make informed
decisions about which marketing, sales or product development program or
consultant to invest in and when to do the investing.
This is a good time for an example of how this balanced approach really
works.
How It Works
Not long ago I awoke at two o’clock in the morning with my mind
racing.
I was considering enrolling in a seven-month, very demanding
business program, and I was not sure it was the right commitment for me to
make. There were a lot of good reasons for me not to do it—time and money
to name just two. But, despite logic there was a strong emotional pull that
would not let go of me.
I knew from past experience how important it was for me to listen to my
intuition. So, I got up and laid a large piece of white paper on the coffee
table. Then I grabbed six different colored felt pens and began to write down
everything I could think of that was part of this issue.
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
After five minutes I sat back and looked at the page. It was pretty messy!
But I sure felt calmer even if I did not yet have the answer to my question.
I took a second large sheet of paper and transferred the information
onto it so it was easier to understand how one piece of information was
related to the next. Relieved that all the swirling thoughts that were in my
mind were safely captured in writing, I went back to bed and slept soundly.
The next day every time I passed the large colorful pages that lay on the
coffee table I was reminded of my cathartic early morning experience.
Around four o’clock that afternoon I knew it was time to continue my
process (or risk another night of sleeplessness!). I sat down and with a red
felt tip pen circled all of the words and phrases that spoke to the business
challenges I hoped the program would help me solve.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Underdeveloped speaking skills
Dated web copy
Disorganized filing system
Low confidence writing marketing copy
Cash flow concerns
... and the list went on
Next, with a bright green pen, I transferred my challenges onto a tidy list
down the right side of a new sheet of paper. Then, on the left side, with a
purple pen I wrote out all of what the training program promised to deliver.
And then it happened: I had a flash of the obvious. I was clear. My head,
heart and gut were in agreement. I knew what was right for me to do.
There were only two items on both lists: 1) improved confidence and
skill at writing marketing copy and 2) increased income.
The other items on the program's list were things I already had: clarity
on clientele, a compelling program and being part of a dynamic community.
So what happened? Why had I been so conflicted? I had gotten hooked.
The program’s marketing spoke to me on an emotional, non-verbal level,
and I was drawn in by the charismatic teacher.
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
Well, my question was answered and I knew my next step. I didn't need
to enroll in the business program; I needed to find the right copywriting
program. That was the answer I had been looking for!
A Balanced Approach
While reading this, did you see how I used both structures and creative
flow? First, I let the information flow out of my head, heart and gut onto
paper. Using different colored pens gave expression to an unconscious
emotional aspect to the conflict. Then I rewrote the information in an orderly
fashion. I let the ideas rest and returned to them the next day with a fresh
perspective. In time, I had a flash of insight that informed my ultimate
decision.
So how is this approach different from traditional approaches to
business?
If I had relied completely on my linear thinking about whether or not
to sign up for the course, the time and money factor would have weighed
heavily. I would have decided not to sign up for the course, but I would have
felt bad at the same time and not known why. That familiar feeling is like not
being able go to the party because you need to stay home and clean up your
room.
In contrast, if I had surrendered to my intuitive side and signed up for
the program—an equally familiar scenario—I would have gained value
despite being stretched financially and physically. But, would that value be
what I needed to focus my attention, time and money on at the time?
Success, however you define it, is reaching your goals with time, money and
energy left over. This requires efficiency. Design Thinking is a model that will
increase your ability to consistently do that.
The Design Thinking Process
Here’s a recap of this problem-solving process.
•
Capture everything in writing. Some of your confusion is because
there is too much information to hold inside you.
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
•
Use both analytical and creative tactics equally. Move back and forth
between them as you evaluate your situation. Remember the hot and
cold water analogy.
•
Give the process the time it needs. Explore the information until you
have nothing more to say. Clarify, rewrite, allow time for it to settle and
revisit as needed. Trust that you know what is right for you.
•
Don’t go it alone. Other perspectives are important. I handled the one
in my example alone, but for larger issues bring a friend or advisor into
the process.
•
Trust that you know what is right for you. Watch for your internal
“felt sense.” You’ll know it when your head, heart and gut are in
agreement that you have the right answer despite what others say.
I have one more story for you. It illustrates how focused action comes
from being clear on a situation. I was working with a very action-oriented
woman. She had been in private practice as a health care provider for
decades and had successfully handled all the ups and downs common in
business. She came to me because she was really challenged by her current
situation.
We spent a number of sessions, using a balanced Design Thinking
approach to solving her problem. Then halfway through a meeting she put
the pieces together and understood how she wanted to proceed. With “Aha!”
written across her face, she said she needed to get started and breezed out
the door with her long blue scarf flapping behind her.
Closing Thoughts
Remember, the reason you are not as successful as you would like to be is
probably not for lack of trying but because the framework you have been
working within is limited. It doesn’t allow for the complexity your values and
mission bring to the business development process.
The framework Design Thinking provides, in time, will dramatically shift
your business situation as it has done for me. This easy-to-learn process
guides you so you know exactly what to do when you are frustrated and
uncertain.
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
As a result, the confident, focused actions you will make will lead to an
increase in your income and impact—and to creating the business you have
always known was possible.
About Me
I come from a long line of masterful problem solvers. My grandfather
was a self-made, successful businessman. He was born into a tenant farm
family in Wisconsin, one of six children. By the time he died he was a
mortgage broker lending his own money.
My mom, his daughter, was an accomplished seamstress and “out of the
box” creative. I will never forget one of the times her brilliance saved the
day. I was 13, getting ready for a school dance and I burned a hole in my
dress. I am sure you can imagine my state of mind. Without missing a beat
my mom expertly sewed a line of pick rose appliques over the hole and
down the long blue skirt. And off I went, right on time.
In 1980, this inherent ability—or strength—was given fertile ground when
I questioned why some businesses were more successful than others. At that
time I knew my life’s work was to solve this mystery and, in doing so, to
help business owners who were committed to making a difference be more
successful. It would be my distinctive way to make a contribution.
I was right. The integration of that question and my problem-solving skills
have become the foundation of my work with clients. In 2003, I launched
my business-coaching practice in Sonoma County, California. Over time, it
evolved into Ryan Business Design.
Over the years I also earned a BA in business and completed a coach
certification with The Coaches Training Institute. Now, after 30 years, as a
seasoned businesswoman and business coach I have been supporting
entrepreneurs to step into their worth and make the impact and income they
deserve.
About My Work
If you’d like to know more about my work, please visit my website at
www.RobertaRyan.com where you can:
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016
The Main Reason You Are Still Struggling In Your Business
How Design Thinking will increase your income and impact
•
Sign up to receive my twice-monthly e-newsletter. It includes
my insights on creating a business based on your values, as well as
announcements of interesting events—both others’ and mine.
•
Download my free e-book, “Know Your Value: How Owning Your
Worth Impacts Your Income.” It chronicles my story of how I evolved
from someone who knew I had something important to say, but was
fearful of speaking, into a courageous, budding writer and speaker.
Included in the e-book is an easy-to-use exercise that will start you on
your way to identifying your strengths.
•
Learn about The Discovery Program, a one-on-one coaching
program designed to identify what is holding you back and then shape
a plan for you to overcome your challenges and create the business
you know if possible.
•
Contact me to schedule your free 45-minute phone session. This
free session is a great way to get to know each other and see whether
working together is the right decision for you—and there’s no
obligation beyond our meeting.
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© Roberta Ryan and Ryan Business Design, 2016