03. The Architect Mindset – Part III

The Architect Mindset – Part III: How to Hone the Architect Mindset

In preceding lessons, we had looked at what the Architect Mindset looks like. In this lesson, we will enumerate briefly why you must care about honing this ability.

The Tool of Trade in the Conceptual Age

The Architect Mindset, seeking as it does to integrate every other connecting perspective and piecing them together, helps the leadership team to have a comprehensive picture of the entire ecosystem that comprises the organisation. This mindset, being the master of the broader picture, one which has an incisive view of the organisation’s blueprint allows for the most robust strategy formulation.

Daniel Pink, business management expert and behavioural scientist, who was named one of the “10 Most Influential People in the World”, said this best in his bestseller titled ‘A Whole New Mind’, which, by the way, is a book that we strongly recommend that you read.

Pink says “We are moving from an economy and a society built on the logical, linear, computer-like capabilities of the Information Age to an economy and a society build on the inventive, empathic, big-picture capabilities of the Conceptual Age.”

Innovation is Aided by the Architect Mindset

What did the world get when Dr Steven Friend connected seemingly disparate dots and brought together people from different disciplines? And what did we get when Travis Kalanick saw that underemployed chauffeurs could be connected to disgruntled taxi customers?

The answer: breakthrough innovation.

For example, Uber evolved step-by-step as it continually experimented with connecting different groups of drivers and customers while adapting the business to the taxi protocols of different cities.

It is this ability to connect the dots, the Architect Mindset, in other words, that drives innovation.

Synthesis is the New Killer Arsenal in a Leader’s Arsenal

Specialists are great to have on a team. However, the most successful leaders today, especially at higher levels in the organisational hierarchy, are those who can synthesise; who can see the bigger picture and make sense of that. These, as Kalanick’s guidance of Uber’s strategy and Mohan’s example illustrates, are the abilities that win you an invitation to the strategy discussion table.

So, how do you acquire the Architect mindset?

We have seen that the Architect mindset concerns itself with acquiring insights into the various functions, departments and disciplines within the organisation. Here then are a few steps you can take to cultivate – or hone, as might be the case – the Architect’s mindset:

a. Socialise with people outside of your own domain or function. Expose yourself to what your colleagues in other departments concern themselves with. Gain as detailed information as you possibly can into the metrics that they use to define success, into their processes, structures, strategies and business challenges. Seek to gain insights into their successes and best practices.

b. Understand your customer’s customers (what makes them tick, what they seek from your customer, their preferences, etc.,)

c. Understand what your customer’s competitors/ contemporaries in industry leading organisations are doing

d. Cultivate the discipline of asking yourself questions related to interconnectedness, when working on a task or a project

• “How – if applicable – might this impact other functions within the organisation?”
• “Does this need to ‘talk to’ some other function?”
• “Does this need to mesh with what someone else is doing?”

These simple steps will go a long way in helping you acquire or hone your ability to think like the Architect and make an invaluable asset at the strategy discussion table.

e. If you are Garrett Camp, find your Travis Kalanick

Now, it is sometimes hard for some people to acquire this mindset. No worries. One cannot have every desirable skill or ability. That’s why you need to work closely with someone who has the Architect Mindset. It is the simplest way of ensuring that your endeavours are thought through to ensure that every moving part of the business eco-system is working in sync or will do so.

To conclude this lesson

Let us revisit some of the key points that we had covered in this lesson:

The strategic leader must see how the various moving parts in the ecosystem mesh together to form a unified whole. We had labelled this ability the Architect mindset.

The Architect mindset concerns itself with evaluating how policies and plans enable or impede the achievement of business objectives. It takes on a multi-disciplinary approach to work and focusses on learning about and satisfying the customer.

You would do well to acquire on refine the ability to think like the Architect. It will position you as someone business leaders will turn increasingly towards for insights and inputs at the strategy discussion table.

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