The law of diminishing intent
“What great accomplishments we’d have in the world if everybody had done what they intended to do.” —Frank ClarkThis weekend I got up early to do some reflection. I suspect it was the Leap Year, and I felt compelled to capitalize on the 2/29 freebie. Why not give a nod to this unique, 366-day year of 2020?
As I soaked in the view from the bedroom desk, I asked myself “Why don’t you read some Jim Rohn to get the engine fired up?” And that got me started.
Jim Rohn and the 5 abilities
As the sun began to rise, I jumped randomly to Chapter 6 of Jim Rohn’s timeless classic, The Art of Exceptional Living in which Jim highlights the “5 Abilities” needed to spark personal change. Here are my book notes if you’d like to skim along.
The 5 Abilities are:
Absorb: be present and capture life’s experiences.
Respond: open your mind and heart—let life touch you.
Reflect: make your past serve your future by taking time to review your life.
Act: channel emotion into action and forge a discipline that will compound into change.
Share: expand your consciousness by sharing ideas with others; be a conduit of inspiration.
Act
I was struck by the wisdom in the fourth ability— “Act”—which I’d like to expand upon.
To paraphrase Jim’s guidance:
Act. Take action. When the idea is hot and the emotion is strong. . . act. Otherwise, the Law of Diminishing Intent*** sets in. If intent isn’t translated into action, it dwindles and becomes cold. ACTION. Otherwise the wisdom is wasted. Discipline is the capturing of emotion and translating it into action. Every let down affects the rest of your performance. One of the greatest temptation is easing up a bit. In the slightest way, neglect starts an infection and diminishes self-respect and self-value. Antidote: start a discipline. You have a wisdom of the world available to you. Affirmation without discipline is called DELUSION. Discipline. Make rest a necessity not an objective. The objective of life is to act, not to rest.
*** Based on my research, this is the first time that any published author has used the term “Law of Diminishing Intent”. . . pretty cool, right?
Law of diminishing intent + startups
"The longer you wait to do something you should do now, the greater the odds that you will never actually do it.” -Grand Master of IntentIn other words, potential energy and time are inversely correlated.
Having worked in startups for 8 years, the concept of “diminishing intent” perfectly captured an all-to-frequent phenomenon in tech: 1) people get excited about something, 2) ideas and plans get bandied about, 3) they get some initial traction, 4) momentum decreases, 5) the initiative dies.
Expert rendering of the “Law of Diminishing Intent”
Sometimes the initiative survives for two quarters, then withers. Still others die in two months. I’ve seen initiatives sprout, bloom and wilt in two weeks.
All that’s left is a graveyard of lonely Google Docs, dusty Asana boards, and awkward recurring calendar invites.
The business impact of these ephemeral attempts is massive: missed goals, strategy failures, increased churn, revenue shortfalls, lapsed product deadlines, not to mention the damage done to trust, accountability, and execution confidence.
When diminishing intent makes sense
Of course, not all ideas are meant for prime time. Not all programs go the distance, nor do all projects continue in perpetuity. This is to be expected. As business conditions change, so must the business. It can make perfect sense to kibosh a program that no longer suits the new goals of a function, or company. In this case, diminishing intent is a natural result of an intentional change.
Perhaps diminishing intent is collective, cognitive purging system, helping us prioritize ideas based on our levels of emotional investment.
Tactics for outsmarting diminishing intent
"Focus and simplicity. . . Once you get there, you can move mountains.” -Steve JobsTo avoid whiplashing ourselves and creating laser-like focus, here are a few tactics for outsmarting the law of diminishing intent. Disclaimer: many of these tactics are simple, but that doesn’t make them easy.
Commitment criteria: create more friction upfront by establishing a broader framework within the company for 1) what justifies a recurring work effort, and 2) how projects/programs are managed, i.e. if you decide to do this, here is the price of admission.
Involve an executive: according to the Standish group, 84% of IT projects fail. One of the top 5 reasons for failure is lack of executive support. Defining a sponsoring executive for each “real” project could increase your likelihood of success.
Invest in a distinct role: Most startups dole out projects onto the full plates of top-performing IC, often without any project management skills training. It might make sense to pay someone $70-80k to own & implement the framework.
“Hell Yeah!” or “No.” (vis-a-vis Derek Sivers): binary polarity. This school of thought is basically a conviction gut check, meaning if you aren’t “Hell yes” on a decision, then it’s an automatic no. In short: say NO to more things and avoid the temptation to pimp out your future self.
Sleep on it: create an intentional delay - do you still feel as impassioned the next day, or was it a case of afternoon over-caffeination?
Emotional novelty: our brains do not crave rest, they crave change. If new project X looks very similar work Y and Z, then it’s unlikely X will get incremental attention. But creative leaders know how to package X with a novel emotional message or medium. It could entail a funny graphic, a witty slogan, inside joke, cheeky video. . . anything to make the “work” feel more like fun. It can also keep the energy flowing after the initial burst.
Visible accountability: failure is more painful if its public; therefore, making public commitments—individually, or as a working group—can increase your collective stamina toward goal. I’ve seen this done most effectively within a transparent project/goal/OKR system in Workboard, Asana, etc.