Practical Approaches for Seeing Around Corners:
A Conversation with Rita McGrath

On, this edition of Asking For a Friend, I talk with Rita McGrath, author of Seeing Around Corners. We discuss, “How to think strategically when you don’t know what’s coming next.”

“Snow Melts From the Edges”

Andy Grove, former CEO and author of Only the Paranoid Survive observed that “When spring comes, snow melts first at the periphery because that is where it is most exposed.”  I love that image.  That’s why it’s so critical to listen carefully to the people closest to the edges: particularly your frontline employees and your customers.

This conversation about seeing around corners made me think of our early live-online, spaced learning over time leadership development programs.

The idea for what would become one of our signature programs came from the edges, a prospective customer at the time. Michelle Braden (you can watch her on Asking For a Friend here), said:

“I’ve read your books, and I want to work with you guys, but my teams are all over the world.  Can you design a program where I don’t have to fly you to Bulgaria, Ireland, Asia, and Las Vegas? Ideally, I’d love to have them working in mixed International cohorts.

We designed a six-month, highly interactive live-online program, with mixed cohorts which included micro-learning, learning lab, action learning, and application/reinforcement sessions in-between.

The program was highly successful and we learned a lot about the technology and techniques to maximize engagement and sustained learning. We’re so grateful because right around the corner, was a global pandemic.

Michelle’s ability to help us see around corners positioned us to quickly pivot our in-person programs to live online and to give our customers and prospects the confidence that we could do that well.

More from Michelle Braden on Leadership Development

What are Your Best Practices for Seeing Around Corners?

In this interview, Rita shares some great examples of companies thriving because they got good at seeing around corners. And shares examples of what happens when they don’t.

I’m curious, what are your best practices for seeing around corners?