Stay Ahead of the Competition through Moonshot Thinking

 

 

 

[Last Edited] April 24th, 2019

 

The term sounds a bit too technical for some, so let’s break things down a bit. Moonshot thinking is a project that’s ground-breaking, exploratory and ambitious. People take on this project with little to no expectation, be it of benefit nor any near-term profitability. In some cases, a thorough research of potential risks is also missing. “Moonshot” is actually derived from the spaceflight project Apollo that brought the first of our species to the moon back in 1969. This is also another way of saying “shoot for the moon” which means “aim high”.

Case in point, most of the projects that come from Google X (the most popular search engine’s secret laboratory) are products of moonshot thinking. These projects include a project that extends life known as Calico, network robots with neural functions, glasses that use augmented reality, a car that functions even without a driver, Google Glass, and Project Loon. For Google, the concept of moonshot thinking provides radical solutions through major problems through breakthrough technology.

So how can Moonshot Thinking Help You Stay Ahead?

10% improvements – this is what a huge number of companies focus on. The questions they ask themselves usually revolve around reducing costs or increasing profits by 10%. While that way of thinking benefits the company, moonshot thinking gives better results. The shift is simple: from focusing on the 10% to thinking about how to go 10x faster, 10x cheaper, etc.

Know the Difference

 You have a different take on the problem when you focus on the 10x than on the 10%. The improvement is multiplied by a hundred, but the effort exerted does not change that much. You also see the problem as something that can be solved, and you will be amazed at the solutions that you will come up with. Moonshot also allows you to manifest the best team in the world, one that has the ability to create interim products or services designed specifically to solve interim problems. What seems to be impossible becomes possible through moonshot thinking. With the 10%, you only end up exhausting yourself and the results are not even impressive. Come day’s end, you have a team that feels like they didn’t do their jobs, and all that positive energy is thrown out the window. This is kept at a minimum through moonshot thinking.

 

These days, it is very important to be creative when thinking of strategies be it in business or other fields. Regardless of the size of your company or organization, moonshot thinking brings a sense of urgency – something you need so people don’t slack off and start getting their hands dirty. This brings additional capacities to your team, making it easier to trigger innovation. As the cliché goes, the only thing constant in this world is change. That still rings true. However, with the rate of change constantly increasing, one has to work harder to keep up.  Surprise yourself and your team. Let’s change your way of thinking.

Contact us and find out how Active Development can help your business grow.