Lars Sudmann - Innovation that sticks: Reach success as a leader in your field with the spaghetti principle

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

This book is dedicated to my mother, who constantly encouraged me to throw stuff at the wall (in the figurative, not the literal sense).

Doing something new is not easy. Staying in old patterns, on the other hand, is. Have you ever explored how you approach new matters? How do you innovate? I want to invite you to explore the Spaghetti Principle with me, as a metaphor of innovation on how to approach just about anything in life and develop a powerful innovative mindset.

This book is about innovation and the art of experimentation. The art of getting things done while trying out new stuff. In life. In business. At home. Everywhere. And getting spectacular results in the process.

This book is based on my research, my corporate experience and experience in building and advising businesses. Ive worked with thousands of people on this subject, conducted interviews and created TEDx talks (see The Spaghetti Principle, Think inside the box and Great Leadership Starts with Self-Leadership) and more.

In all of the above areas, and in many others in life I have benefitted from using the Spaghetti Principle, and I want to share what I have learned with you.

So, lets get the big question out of the room. What is the Spaghetti Principle?

In a meeting some time ago somebody said, in a somewhat condescending tone:

They are using the Spaghetti Technique

This was the first time I came across the term. We had been discussing a competitors strategy.

Huh? , I thought.

Well, how do you know if spaghetti is ready after cooking? You throw it at the wall and see if it sticks. Thats exactly what theyre doing with their products. Unprofessional.

Thats the principle: Throw something at the wall and see if it sticks.

In an organizational context the principle sometimes has a bad reputation. It has an unplanned, they-dont-know-what-they-are-doing ring to it.

However, I argue that many more individuals and organizations need to start embracing the Spaghetti Principle. We need to start experimenting and testing much more frequently on all levels. In fact, in a world that is getting more and more complex, this approach might actually be the only way forward. We need to throw more Spaghetti.

Sure, in a world where you have a long operating history and that is stable and predictable that is not the right approach. Thats where you can create the perfect plan.

But where does this world still exist? Virtually every individual and every industry is affected by complexity and massive change. For instance, as Quartzs David Yanowksiy states: There is no such thing as a tech company anymore as virtually EVERY company has to deal with massive technological change and innovation today.

Lets therefore go out and throw some Spaghetti.

There are five main chapters:

Chapter 1, The Spaghetti Principle, will introduce the principle, the theory and background and application in business and life.

Chapter 2, Spaghetti Superiore, will go into the real and true exploration of having the right mix and truly bringing novelty into your business and life.

Chapter 3, Real life, is an inspiration toolbox. We will look into a variety of applications and how leaders in their field consciously or unconsciously are using the principle to approach life and business. Some parts might be more applicable to your life than others, but all will give you an outlook to whats possible. Just pick and choose what works for you and skip stuff that is less relevant for you.

Chapter 4, Living it, will show what it takes to live the Spaghetti Principle in real life. What are the mindsets, leadership processes, technologies, tools, decision making processes for yourself and maybe the people you lead or live and work with. This is a chapter about truly making it stick.

Chapter 5, Spaghetti and the Organization, will dive into the question of how you can live the Spaghetti Principle if you work with a multitude of people.

All areas will give you plenty of ideas and thoughts on how to put the Spaghetti Principle into practice. Because that is the ultimate goal, and how you should ultimately use the book go and try things out as soon as possible. For this purpose, there will be short action review areas at the end of each section. I can only encourage you to complete them and reflect on the exercises.

Have fun reading and doing!

Anyone who knows exactly where they are going from the beginning will never get far.

NAPOLEON I

How does planning usually work?

Throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks.

So, this is it. This is the Spaghetti Principle. You might say, whats so special about this? Whats the big deal? Its obvious.

Well, I dont think so. Lets contrast this approach with all the others that one sees. What does normal the process for planning any project or life endeavor look like?

You come up with an idea and write a great plan and roadmap.

You sit together and discuss it with others.

You do the work.

You coordinate and update.

You implement, do the follow-up, finish up, and move to the next one.

Right?

RIGHT?

Well, if it works like this for you there are three options:

You are either lying to yourself.

Or you are not really doing something new and challenging.

You are a genius; in this case I want to hear from you asap.

In my experience, reality often looks very different from the above process. People plan, people do the work, yes. But often, they procrastinate, find problems, go off track. Or they develop and implement something that is complex and difficult. It is the perfect solution on paper, in the head, in the conference room. But not for reality.

So they implement, and fail. They are frustrated about their progress and make up excuses and create a story on why it never worked.

The Spaghetti Principle can avoid this.

The real science behind the Spaghetti Principle

Why does spaghetti stick?

The starch released in the spaghetti makes it sticky. After cooking, pasta has a lot of free surface starch ready to bond like glue. You will notice this when you leave spaghetti too long in the pot after draining the water.

This is the simple reason it sticks to the wall once cooked.

When discussing this with Italians they regularly point out that, whenever it starts to stick, the spaghetti is already overcooked but this is a whole different matter.

The fallacy of the Homer-mobile

The problem with over-planning and over-optimization in ones head is that we might end up with the Homer-mobile in our minds.

The Homer-mobile was a car designed by Homer Simpson, the father figure in the highly successful cartoon series The Simpsons. In one episode, Homer was hired by a car company to design a car that would appeal to the common people. And design a car he does. The car had all the features that Homer liked and thought necessary multiple horns playing La Cucaracha, gigantic cup holders, a soundproof bubble dome to name just a few.

However it missed some important facts. Nobody would actually use a car like it. All it showed was where Homers thoughts were on what a great car for HIM might be like.