28 min

#122 Fire bullets before cannonballs: Jim Collins' method for validating ideas The Growth Whisperers podcast

    • Management

What does it mean to fire bullets before cannonballs? Often leaders are too bold or, alternatively, too conservative. Instead of taking too much or too little risk, the concept of firing bullets before cannonballs asks leaders to validate an idea with a series of small, low-risk experiments. Once you have validated your idea, then you can concentrate your resources on a big bet idea. 
From Jim Collins -
“The ability to turn small proven ideas (bullets) into huge hits (cannonballs) counts more than the sheer amount of pure innovation.”
No one is smart enough or experienced enough to know what will or won’t work. Only the market can tell us that.
People intuitively say something will definitely succeed OR definitely fail. But we don’t know.
In this episode, Brad and Kevin talk about the fire bullets before cannonballs concept, why it matters and how you can use it in your business. 
 
 
-----
* Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
* Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!
* Follow us on Twitter @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 Learn more about building enduring great companies.
-----
 
-----
Links:
*https://evolutionpartners.com.au/
*https://lawrenceandco.com/
-----
 
Related episodes
>> See Episode 86 Productive Paranoia and why it's a critical leadership tool
>> See Episode 9 Cheating vs Innovation, Entrepreneur to CEO
 
Additional episodes you might enjoy:
# 50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company
# 16 Jim Collins
# 84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter
# 43 The top 7 best practices for weekly meetings 
# 69 What is a Topgrading virtual bench and why you need one
# 88 The hidden cost of not having a team of all A-Players
# 96 The three main barriers to consistent growth
# 83 Why strategy should focus on producing more profit - not market share

What does it mean to fire bullets before cannonballs? Often leaders are too bold or, alternatively, too conservative. Instead of taking too much or too little risk, the concept of firing bullets before cannonballs asks leaders to validate an idea with a series of small, low-risk experiments. Once you have validated your idea, then you can concentrate your resources on a big bet idea. 
From Jim Collins -
“The ability to turn small proven ideas (bullets) into huge hits (cannonballs) counts more than the sheer amount of pure innovation.”
No one is smart enough or experienced enough to know what will or won’t work. Only the market can tell us that.
People intuitively say something will definitely succeed OR definitely fail. But we don’t know.
In this episode, Brad and Kevin talk about the fire bullets before cannonballs concept, why it matters and how you can use it in your business. 
 
 
-----
* Do you love The Growth Whisperers and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
* Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!
* Follow us on Twitter @Evolution_Perth and @lawrenceandco1 Learn more about building enduring great companies.
-----
 
-----
Links:
*https://evolutionpartners.com.au/
*https://lawrenceandco.com/
-----
 
Related episodes
>> See Episode 86 Productive Paranoia and why it's a critical leadership tool
>> See Episode 9 Cheating vs Innovation, Entrepreneur to CEO
 
Additional episodes you might enjoy:
# 50 Jim Collins Flywheel Concept: How to build unstoppable momentum in your company
# 16 Jim Collins
# 84 The 7 common strategy mistakes from Michael Porter
# 43 The top 7 best practices for weekly meetings 
# 69 What is a Topgrading virtual bench and why you need one
# 88 The hidden cost of not having a team of all A-Players
# 96 The three main barriers to consistent growth
# 83 Why strategy should focus on producing more profit - not market share

28 min