How Being Unconventional Solves Problems More Effectively

Mike joined Emi Kirschner on Tribe of Leaders to talk about solving problems by going against the grain. A lot of standard business advice sounds smart and quietly keeps you stuck.

Here is where Mike thinks the unconventional move is the right one.

Conventional wisdom keeps you busy and broke

The common advice is to offer more, say yes to everyone, and keep prices low to win the deal. Mike sees where that leads. A packed calendar, thin margins, and no time to think. The problem is not effort. The problem is the strategy. More work at lower prices is a treadmill, and speeding it up does not get you off it.

The unconventional move is to do less

Mike's counterintuitive fix is to narrow down. One clear offer instead of a menu. A higher price aimed at a premium problem instead of a discount aimed at everyone. It feels risky because it goes against the grain. It works because it makes you easy to choose and easy to deliver for. Doing less of the right thing solves the problem that doing more never could.

Solve the people problem by delegating

The other stuck point for leaders is trying to hold everything themselves. Mike's approach is plain. Record your tasks as you do them, bucket them by type, and hire against the bucket that causes the most pain. There is no unicorn who does it all, so stop looking for one. Delegate against a clear process and the handoff sticks. For more, the Sage Thought Leadership episode covers authority and focus, and the back office conversation digs into the systems behind delegation.