Oftentimes I can get too focussed on direct results. If we invest time, money or energy into an activity I want to see an immediate outcome. For example, if we cold-call 10 prospects, I want to see 3 leads for a 30% success rate. While this mindset is important, it can often provide blinders to softer activities.

A great example of this is attending networking events. There are occasions where I do not see a direct outcome from networking. “There is no one there I want to meet” “I don’t see any direct benefits from attending”. But that thinking closes out the possibility of attending events, learning new things, and finding opportunities which I did not know existed.

Sometimes a great strategy to bring new technology forward is to do farming exercises. Invest time and energy into something that will not produce an immediate return (e.g. hunting) but has the ability to foster into something useful. A great example was a recent conference I attended. I almost did not go because the B2B sessions did not align with my specific mindset. But after attending, I came away with three great relationships which I am working to move technology forward. As technology commercialization managers we try to manage and try to control the process but sometimes getting yourself into a good situation and hoping for unforeseen positive results is also a good plan.