Self Reflection Byte - I wish I knew this at 20..

I am a regular reader of Roger L Martin's blog posts. I believe he is the best management thinker in our times. Why do I think so? Because he is on a mission to simplify the concept of strategy to make it more accessible in thought & action.

One of his blog post is on "Balancing Exploration & Exploitation" which he wrote in June 2021 (Blog link : here). I resonated so strongly with the concept that I had to write about it.

What is it about? Roger wrote more in terms of corporate strategy & below is a gist of his blog :

All organizations operate in two contrasting modes :

1. Exploration Mode - which is doing new things or things which the organization is not good at
2. Exploitation Mode - which is about doing things at which a company is proficient more intensely & incrementally better than previously

We can think of numerous examples of both the above. I will give two below :

Apple

1. Exploitation Mode - Apple releasing new models of Ipad, Macbooks or Iphones better than the earlier ones in terms of efficiency & design is exploitation mode as they are doing what they are already proficient in better.
2. Exploration Mode - Apple releasing the first Ipod, Iphone, Ipad and now the Vision Pro is out of exploration mode & they changed the way we hear music & use our phones forever.

Amazon

1. Exploration Mode : Amazon releasing the Kindle for the first time in 2007 changed reading habits forever was a product of exploration mode.
2. Exploitation Mode : Releasing newer models of Kindle to make it better & easier for customers to read is exploitation mode.

But the problem in exploration mode is that it is

1. Risky
2. Uncertain &
3. There is a gap between effort & results

Now, what fascinated me is that I could see this concept applying to our lives. How?

As kids, we are forever in exploration mode - curious to learn, explore, understand the world & environment around us, how things work etc. Those who have young children get used to the endless barrage of questions from them.

As we grow up, we find ourselves interested in a particular field & get better at that incrementally & live our lives. We get good in exploitation mode with no interest to hack our exploration mode. There is nothing wrong with being better & improving ourselves. That is something we have to aim for anyways. But....

I am sure we all have that nagging feeling of wanting to do something more than what we are doing now. This does not mean incrementally better, but something entirely different. This is a sign that we are not opening up to our exploration mode & we are either happy or not confident of stepping out from where we are now.

It can also be due to monetary pressure where we have to do what we are doing to survive. Who wants to leave the certainty of exploitation mode & get into uncertainty of exploration mode. We don't know how things will turn out in the end.

But unless we hack our exploration mode, we will never know what we are truly capable of. That's the irony of exploration mode - We have to do the trek. There are no shortcuts.

What can we do to hack this exploration mode? Go step by step. First step is to reflect & see what awakens us or drives us within. It is not straightforward & is like a trek. We don't know what lies forward. But the below steps will help:

1. Read books - on topics that resonates deeply within & taking notes on that
2. Follow the right people on social media (like X)
3. Read tweets or views of people you follow on topics you are drawn to
4. Listen to podcasts - there is a treasure trove of knowledge & insights which we can use.
5. Reflect on what excites you - It can be something entirely new or an adjacent topic of what you already know
6. Do a side project - Can be anything you find interesting & will pursue consistently.

Remember, it is a journey. The fun is in the journey & the learnings that come with it. Know that you might do wrong turns, fall on the way or get rejected. But nevertheless, find a way to hack into your exploration mode without impacting your current exploitation mode. See how far it takes you and love the journey. Maybe you will find what you were looking for or you might find something !!