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May 20, 2024 • 11min
Breakthrough Lessons: Learning to Savor Surprises
Pattern Breakers
In this episode of the Pattern Breakers podcast, Mike Maples Jr. explores why the ability to notice and savor surprises is a critical but often overlooked skill of successful founders. He uses the example of Emmett Shear and the creation of Twitch to illustrate how being open to surprises can lead to breakthrough ideas.
The episode delves into why seeking validation can be limiting, while embracing surprises - both positive and negative - can unlock new opportunities and insights. Maples provides practical advice on how founders can cultivate this skill and use it to refine their ideas and find product-market fit.
Breakthrough Lessons: Learning to Savor Surprises
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Key Takeaways
- Seeking surprises is more valuable than seeking validation when engaging with early customers and developing products
- Positive surprises are a key source of greatness - they reveal desperate needs and open doors to success
- Negative surprises are also valuable - they inform you if your implementation is wrong, you're talking to the wrong people, or your fundamental insight is flawed
- The ability to notice and savor surprises is an overlooked skill of great founders that allows them to narrow in on capabilities that lead to breakthroughs
- Always look for surprises and make it your instinct to ask questions and dig deeper when you encounter something unexpected
- Hold three key questions in mind: Do I have a true insight? Is this the best way to implement it? Am I talking to the right people?
- Breakthroughs come from discovering something new, which inherently involves an element of surprise
Introduction
In this episode of the Pattern Breakers podcast, Mike Maples Jr. explores why the ability to notice and savor surprises is a critical but often overlooked skill of successful founders. He uses the example of Emmett Shear and the creation of Twitch to illustrate how being open to surprises can lead to breakthrough ideas.
The episode delves into why seeking validation can be limiting, while embracing surprises - both positive and negative - can unlock new opportunities and insights. Maples provides practical advice on how founders can cultivate this skill and use it to refine their ideas and find product-market fit.
Topics Discussed
The Origin of Twitch (00:21)
- Justin.tv started as a 24/7 livestream of Justin Kan's life
- Pivoted to a platform where anyone could broadcast live videos
- Team felt they weren't doing anything truly impactful
- Emmett Shear had a breakthrough by asking himself how he actually used their platform
- Realized he enjoyed watching skilled gamers play video games
- Led to creating features specifically for gamers to stream
- Twitch launched in June 2011, over 4 years after Justin.tv's initial launch
- Acquired by Amazon in 2014 for $970 million
The Value of Savoring Surprises (02:21)
- Seeking only validation limits opportunities for breakthroughs
- Founders should approach early customers hoping for the unexpected
- Look for desperate needs you haven't considered that your insights could resolve
- "Seeking out those who merely echo your beliefs narrows your opportunity to find breakthroughs."
Scott Cook's Approach at Intuit (04:21)
- Introduced "follow me home" strategy to observe customers using products
- Always asked teams presenting new ideas: "What was the biggest surprise you encountered?"
- Principle: Breakthroughs involve discovering something new, which inherently involves surprise
The Value of Positive and Negative Surprises (06:22)
- Positive surprises:
- Show your idea might be right and non-consensus
- Open paths to greatness if you lean into them
- Uncover truly desperate needs connected to your insight
- Negative surprises:
- Inform understanding in three ways:
- Your implementation is wrong
- You're talking to the wrong people
- Your fundamental insight is wrong
- Example: Okta's pivot from problem resolution to identity management based on customer feedback
- Inform understanding in three ways:
Interpreting Negative Surprises (08:22)
- Wrong implementation: Right insight, right people, but execution needs adjustment
- Wrong people: May need to iterate on target audience to find those with desperate needs
- Wrong insight: Saves time pursuing an idea not destined for greatness
- Importance of self-awareness and objectivity in assessing fundamental insights
Leveraging Positive Surprises (08:22)
- Deeply understand what went right and lean into it aggressively
- Reveal desperation, which opens doors to success
- Indicate you're getting warmer in understanding implementation and audience
Practical Advice for Savoring Surprises (10:23)
- Always look for surprises and make it your instinct
- Examples:
- Ask about unfamiliar logos or objects in customer offices
- Inquire about checklists or important items in workspaces
- Investigate unexpected product uses or unusually pleased users
- Hold three key questions in mind:
- Do I have a true insight?
- Is this the best way to implement my insight?
- Am I talking to the right people?
- Breakthrough ideas are rare, but founders can train themselves to recognize them
Conclusion
The ability to notice and savor surprises is a crucial skill for founders seeking breakthroughs. By actively looking for the unexpected in customer interactions and product development, entrepreneurs can uncover valuable insights that lead to truly innovative solutions. This approach requires a shift from seeking validation to embracing both positive and negative surprises as opportunities for learning and refinement.
Positive surprises reveal desperate needs and open doors to greatness, while negative surprises provide valuable feedback on implementation, audience, or fundamental insights. By cultivating this skill and consistently asking key questions about insights, implementation, and audience, founders can position themselves to recognize and capitalize on breakthrough ideas that have the potential to transform industries.
Ultimately, the founders who achieve greatness are often those who remain awake to the quiet revelations that emerge from day-to-day interactions. By training oneself to savor surprises, entrepreneurs can increase their chances of uncovering the non-consensus, desperately-needed solutions that lead to remarkable success.
