Stop Chasing Shiny Objects
Hello there! This is Jayme Dill, and welcome.
Over the years, I've noticed some interesting trends in how owners select tools for their business and what they choose to implement. It's really interesting to see which efforts create real transformation and which ones just create noise at best—and at worst, create some downward spirals or real drain of resources that can end up causing problems.
Common Implementation Patterns
I've identified some patterns that I call the "shiny object syndrome," "Google Advisory Services," and the "phone a friend" problem. Let me share what I mean by each of these.
The Shiny Object Syndrome
One of my clients came back from a pretty cool leadership conference last week, really buzzing with ideas—new management frameworks, new team structures, really innovative stuff, cutting-edge feedback systems, all great tools from some world-class experts. But here's the thing: this guy's basic management meetings weren't even running effectively. That's shiny object prioritization, right? These are cool tools he wants in his business, but they're shiny objects not really addressing what's critical to his business at this time.
Google Advisory Services
I had another client scenario: her sales team was struggling, so she went to Google and found some excellent sales leadership content. She started to implement these sophisticated methodologies, but they completely overwhelmed her and her team. This is where Google advisory services provided good advice, but with the wrong intensity for that team.
The Phone a Friend Problem
Perhaps the most common one I see is the "phone a friend." We've all got great friends, and many of us are in CEO advisory peer groups—awesome! I love to see us reaching out and sharing problems and solutions with each other.
But what I often see is people who hear about different tools in meetings like that or by talking to a friend, and then they come back to me frustrated because they've either implemented something or think they need to implement something. For example, a client started a matrix organizational structure because it was really working for her friend, but she didn't take into account the differences in their situations and missed some unique cultural challenges and team dynamics.
The Three R's Framework
What ties all of these scenarios together is this: the most powerful tools can actually set you back if it's not the right tool, with the right timing, and the right intensity. This is why I say to clients that effective business leadership is as much art as science.
Right Tool
Is this a tool that actually works within your business model and culture? I was working with a manufacturing company recently who wanted to implement a flat organization structure. I'm all about organization structures today, aren't I? Matrix, flat, whatever—but in this client's environment, they had a lot of safety protocols and clear decision-making chains that are crucial, and it would have been a real challenge to implement this tool.Right Timing
This is all about matching solutions to your current challenges. I see leaders implement tools that are excellent but simply not addressing the most pressing needs. We all have resource constraints—we need to channel our resources to our most pressing priorities. For example, when a company invests heavily in a customer feedback system when their core delivery process is broken.Right Intensity
Intensity is about letting us walk before we run. I know we're all impatient, driven, and very ambitious—yay, I love that! But running before you walk is usually a disaster. I see this play out often with KPIs. It's an area where it's really hard to walk before you run because we're all data-driven now. We have data galore, unlike 10-20 years ago. Teams jump straight into tracking 50 metrics across 10 dashboards when they haven't mastered the basic habit of reviewing and acting on the numbers.
Implementing the Three R's Assessment
Before you implement your next leadership tool or framework, pause and run what I call the three R assessment. Ask yourself:
For the Right Tool:
Does this solution align with our culture and values?
Have I seen this work in a business similar to mine?
Do I have authentic evidence that this will solve our specific problem?
For Right Timing:
What's our most pressing business challenge right now?
Will this solution address that challenge, or am I chasing a secondary issue?
What problem do I need to solve first before this solution can work?
For Right Intensity:
Can we start small and build momentum?
Do we have the basics in place so we can build upon them?
Have I identified the simplest version that we can test first?
Conclusion
I started today's conversation talking about noise versus transformation. The difference isn't in the quality of the tools—it's the artistry of their application. Think about yourself as a craftsperson, not just a tool collector. The best craftspeople know it's not just about having the right tools; it's knowing exactly when and how to use them.
With these concepts, you can still phone a friend, Google it, and attend seminars—all great things! And hopefully, this will help you avoid some of the common pitfalls that I see all too often in my practice.
If you are experiencing similar challenges in your business to what I talked about today and want to explore this further, please feel free to reach out. In the meantime, stay tuned. We'll be sharing more practical insights in my next conversation with you. Until then, stay well.
