Doing Things Differently

We’ve all heard the saying “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always had.” Yet, breaking out of our habits and routines can be challenging. The 16th-century Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli recognised this tendency, writing in his famous work The Prince:

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”

Machiavelli’s point was that implementing major change inevitably faces resistance, precisely because people are so accustomed to the status quo. But he also acknowledged that introducing “a new order of things” can bring great rewards if done skilfully.

So why do we resist change even when we’re unhappy with how things are? A lot of it comes down to cognitive biases. Losses loom larger than gains in our minds due to Loss Aversion. The Endowment Effect also attaches us more to what we already have. And the Backfire Effect makes us double down on our existing assumptions and beliefs when they’re challenged. Overcoming these subconscious biases takes self-awareness and effort.

When trying to effect change, it can be useful to start small. Big overnight changes, even if needed, often fail because they are too disruptive. You’re more likely to make progress through incremental changes that build positive momentum over time.

It also helps to focus on progress rather than perfection. The goal isn’t necessarily finding the ultimate solution immediately but rather taking steps in the right direction. Pursuing iterative improvements beats getting stuck waiting for the perfect plan. In Quintessence I write in more detail about this.

Additional keys to making change work include questioning (surfacing and reflecting upon) assumptions, inviting outside perspective, running experiments, learning from failures, and communicating transparently. With the quintessential mindset and approach, doing things differently can open up new vistas of possibility. Though the path may not be easy, as Machiavelli noted, the rewards make it worthwhile.

Rather than rigidly adhere to the status quo, have the courage to surface assumptions, reflect on them, adapt and grow. As the saying goes: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always have what you’ve always had. But if you do what you’ve never done, you’ll have what you’ve never had.”