Paradox-Aware Leadership In Action

The Problem

Computer software and hardware makers face a tension between two necessary things: Design and Engineering. Engineering is about functionality and features. Design is about look and feel and the user experience. Most companies lean heavily to engineering.

Steve Jobs was fundamentally different because he took a Both/And approach to the tension between design and engineering. He refused obvious tradeoffs and split-the-difference compromises. 

The Paradox-Aware Solution

Apple engineers and designers experimented and iterated together until they found the innovative new way no one else could see, multi-touch screens, perfectly balanced earbuds, ultra light, but sturdy laptops.

The Outcome

Other computer makers built useful, but forgettable products. Apple found non-obvious solutions and became a cultural icon by creating a succession of category creating products... the iPod, the iMac, the iPhone... 

Apple became the world's most valuable company for the first, but not the last, time in August of 2011.

Government Digital Service (UK)

How the UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS) became a world model for responsive public services.

The Problem

Public services are optimized to be reliable and accountable. They tend to avoid risk and anything that might fail and look like a misuse of public money. The problem is, to be innovative and responsive, you need to take some risks and try new things that might not work. Most government leaders go with obvious solutions and treat the paradox as an either/or question.

Without innovation, services can drift away from from the changing real needs of the people they serve.

The Paradox-Aware Solution

Their process involved small experiments to see what would work and they measured the results of each experiment. Over time they were able to establish and scale national online services for bill payment and notifications that worked on mobile phones. The resulting solutions were Both reliable And innovative.

The Outcome

By 2016, they had made tremendous progress and were recognized with the top ranking in the UN e-government and e-participation survey.

Niche Academy

How Niche Academy became a unique and profitable business with almost no competition.

The Problem

Niche Academy was a learning platform for public libraries funded with a Software as a Service (SaaS) business model. That meant building something that many customers could use rather than building something unique for each customer. Most prospective customers, though, didn't have dedicated staff to build the specific training they needed. Building custom training would require a different business model.

The Paradox-Aware Solution

It became clear that any successful solution would need to be Both a reusable cloud-based learning platform And a library-specific content platform. No other business was doing this, so the team began experimenting with non-obvious ways to build tutorials that could be bundled with the platform.

The Outcome

Niche Academy became a beloved staple in the library industry as an indispensable training tool for teaching patrons how to use electronic resources and essential customer service and management skills for library staff. It has enjoyed a sustainable mix of customer loyalty and healthy profits no competitor has matched.