#24: Build as if you are right. Test as if you are wrong
Ever feel like you and your team spend way too much time talking about ideas or asking questions, but not enough time doing? My former boss had the perfect advice for this:
“Ideas are nice. Questions can make you sound smart. But having something to react to will always push the conversation further and teach you more.”
She was right. Showing up with unfinished ideas people can try always made projects move faster.
(Oh, and she also liked to remind me, “Be confident and humble. Nobody likes an asshole.”)
This same mindset applies to changing the way your team works just as much as it does to developing a product.
Unfortunately, we forget to practice what we preach to our teams.
Unfortunately, most change agents forget to apply these principles to their own teams. Why?
Here are some common reasons.
Leadership isn’t used to seeing unfinished, early work.
Trust hasn’t been built, so people are hesitant to share something unpolished.
There is no time for big culture change projects, when delivery is the focus
People don’t know how to take small, actionable steps.
But don’t worry - this isn’t a lost cause! Let’s look at how you can make small, meaningful changes with your team that build momentum for bigger organizational transformation.
Let’s use a concrete example: Re-designing an ineffective meeting
Picture this: It’s your recurring leadership team (LT) meeting, where project updates are shared using the same old, barely legible Excel spreadsheet. People zone out. Everyone knows it’s ineffective, but nobody has had time to:
Get feedback from participants
Re-design the interaction model
Get buy-in from key stakeholders
Re-launch the meeting in a better format
Ugh, just writing that list feels exhausting, doesn’t it? But here’s the good news: by using the mantra “Build as if you are right, test as if you are wrong,” you can shift from “we’ll get to it later” to “let’s make a small change now.”
Here’s How to Do It, in 5 Steps:
Step 1: Commit to trying something new (before you even know what it is).
You know how you only clean your house when you invite people over? The same principle applies.
This is your forcing function. Tell your team: “I want to try something different at our next meeting, just for 5 minutes.”
Setting this expectation holds you accountable, and it de-risks the experiment by making it clear this is temporary. No need for perfection or big changes—just a quick try.
Step 2: Set a timer and build a C- version of your idea.
Now, give yourself 5 minutes (okay, maybe 30 max depending on the idea) to sketch out your experiment. The goal isn’t an A+ solution—it’s action.
Let’s say your idea is to add a quick breakout discussion, so you need to:
Enable breakout rooms on your conferencing tool.
Write down activity instructions.
Come up with 3 discussion questions for when the group returns.
Boom! You’ve got a plan in under 5 minutes.
Step 3: Test it during the meeting.
Now, the big moment: remind your team about the 5 minute experiment, and jump right in. Courage!
Afterward, get immediate feedback. Did it work? Should you tweak it? And if it flopped—no big deal. You only spent a few minutes on it.
Step 4: Ask for volunteers to try something next.
You’ve modeled the behavior of sharing unfinished work and taking quick action. Now, pass the baton. Ask someone else to try an experiment for the next meeting. This creates shared ownership and builds momentum. And, by going first, you have given permission to others to try on a new behavior.
Step 5: Use this as a Trojan Horse for bigger changes.
Remember, our larger goal is to create momentum for customer-centered, adaptive ways of working inside our organizations.
Once your team sees how small experiments can improve meetings, scale up. Say:
“Remember when we iterated on our LT meetings? What if we used that same approach to tackle {insert project}? Let’s see if we can replicate those results.”
No jargon, no fancy frameworks—just pointing to the outcomes you’ve already achieved. If someone resists, that’s a sign of barriers to address. And guess what? You can build some C- versions of solutions for those barriers and test them to see if you are right…or wrong. 🙂
By focusing on small, scrappy experiments, you’ll build confidence, trust, and momentum—one action at a time. Now go forth and build as if you are right, test as if you are wrong!
Summary
1. Commit to trying something new: Announce it to your team to hold yourself accountable.
2. Create a quick C- version: Spend just 5-30 minutes coming up with a scrappy plan.
3. Test it in the meeting: Be brave and get immediate feedback.
4. Invite others to experiment: Share ownership and build momentum by asking someone else to try.
5. Scale it up: Use your small wins as a springboard for bigger changes.
By following these steps, you’ll create a culture of action, experimentation, and trust—all while making your team’s work faster and more effective.
Whenever you are ready, there are 4 ways my team and I can help your organization:
Sprints: Get proof an idea will work (or not) in days or weeks. Not months or years
Coaching & Training: Equip your workforce to build more customer-focused solutions
All Hands Workshops: Turn your All Hands meetings + conferences into immediate results
Ways of Working: Launch behavior change interventions before investing significant resources