I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m guessing that the constant rally cry for “better, faster, cheaper” research is finally getting to you. If you’re like most people in the insights industry (whether you’re on the client or supplier side), you’re probably working harder and faster than you ever have in your attempt to accommodate this demand from above.
The end of year (EOY) spend season is upon us. The calls and emails flood in daily. Each has a similar tone and message. “I’ve got money. I want to do a project about . It has to be done by the end of the year.” At this point, we have ~4~ working weeks left of the year.
Being on the receiving end of these requests is a dance of internal negotiation. I have a choice in how I wish to engage with this request. I either choose to connect with this request with a scarcity mindset or with consciousness of abundance. The mindset with which I choose to enter into this request, ultimately defines that scope of work’s ability to impact the team or initiative in which its been commissioned by.
Assume I’ve just received this request. Four working weeks of the year remain.
Hi Brianna,
It’s great to connect with you.
Not surprising, we’ve got end of year money to spend.
I’d like to do a global study to support understanding around product category X. We need to have full results by Dec. 31.
Let me know if you have availability to make this happen.
Thanks!
Your client”
My internal dance begins. It looks a little bit like this, “OMG! This isn’t possible. We don’t have a proposal in place (may not even have a Master Services Agreement (MSA)). We have four working weeks left of the year. This ask isn’t possible.” (NOTE: My heart is full of anxiety!)
In this example, I’m operating with a scarcity mindset. The constraints are finite. X budget, an impossible scope of work, and four weeks to accomplish the project. If I choose to respond to this client with the scarcity mindset engaged one of two things are going to happen: I will just turn the project away saying, “Sorry, I can’t help you.” Or, I will push to make that impossible task possible (if that’s even humanly feasible) and end up producing a piece of work that does a great job at spending end of year budget money, but does a terrible job at aligning to the core needs of the team for which the work is being conducted on behalf of. Why? Because the client also doesn’t have time for this project right now. They want to enjoy their Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, as they should. They’re trying to finish off work that is doable to complete before year-end, so they can begin 2016 with a clean slate. Essentially, the stakeholder team for the project doesn’t have time to engage in its design. Everyone in this scenario is in “pushing” mode, which means everyone is thinking tactically and no one is thinking strategically. The project outcome will likely fall flat in terms of truly shaping 2016 work efforts.
Now, let’s view this same scenario through the lens of abundance consciousness …
What usually happens in my internal dance of negotiation is this: I freak out about the impossibility of the end of year spend ask. And, then, I catch myself falling down the rabbit hole of a scarcity mindset. It’s at that moment that I check myself and ask, “How can we?” And then, I feel resuscitated.
I understand the need to spend the end of year money. I understand the requirements to have deliverables generated to a scope of work for accounting purposes. What I don’t accept is doing crap, ineffective work to align to arbitrary end of year spend constraints.
Just by shifting the perspective to “How can we?” vs. “this is not possible,” the conversation shifts. The focus becomes what it should be. The teams engaged in conversation start discussing goals for the scope of work and what that scope of work is intended to inform. The team is able to reflect on what “success” looks like for the initiative.
This consciousness of abundance gives the team the time and space to think strategically. They’re able to chart how this scope of work ladders to their priorities for 2016, how this work is intended to build upon previous work conducted, etc. The focus of the conversation is on the meaning, value and impact of that scope of work vs. the tactical logistics of how to get it done (which is the only conversation happening when a scarcity mindset is activated).
Now, it’s important to note that choosing to engage with a consciousness of abundance does not necessarily mean that more time is needed. In fact, the initial conversation might be 100% equal in duration. Yet the outcomes are dramatically different. With a scarcity mindset, the teams choose to execute with heads fully down, nose to the grindstone. A sense of urgency and achieving the impossible is what is fueling the work. It’s 100% tactical from day one. With a consciousness of abundance, you feel like you have more space and time in which to play and engage (regardless of whether you do or not). You consider ways that you can make the impossible, possible, without necessarily killing yourself in the process.
With the ask of “How can we?,” creative ideas start to flow. For instance, maybe you break one big project into two? Project Part 1 is paid for with 2015 money. Project Part 2 is paid for with 2016 money. Maybe you leverage previous work to get you halfway there from a learning perspective? Maybe you pay for the whole project in 2015 and finish it at the start of 2016? The possibilities are endless. But, these possibilities will not come to mind if you choose to engage with a scarcity mindset with your end of year requests.
So, I challenge each and every one of you to check in with yourself. How are you choosing to engage with end of year spend requests? I’d love to hear from you. What resonates about this concept of consciousness of abundance vs. a scarcity mindset for you? How might you apply this learning to your life over the next few weeks?
The “Better, Faster, Cheaper” Dilemma
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