Is success a repeatable process?
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 05:08PM Liza Bouchard 
It was another sleepless night thinking about 2x2 grids; this time the subject was repeatable versus non-repeatable processes and how these relate to success.
Is success a process which can be broken down into a grid, and then recreated? Or is success a happy accident like winning the lottery? Did Steven Spielberg, Henry Ford, or Oprah Winfrey follow an existing a process to create their empires or did they create a new process which would then define future successful companies?
To understand process, we must first look at the opposite of Process, which is a simply Task, like doing the dishes, photocopying papers, or calling the vet to make appointment for kitty. Whenever I mow the lawn I am reminded it is a Repeatable Task that could be delegated (money permitting). It feels good to do. And it's a kind of Dharma, or duty. And it feels really good to be done with it.
Apart from the physical work, mowing a lawn or photocopying papers are easy tasks that are almost Zen-like in their simplicity. Some of my best creative thinking happens during repeative tasks because the task itself requires so little brain power, it means bigger ideas have time to percolate. In fact, every time I mow the law I have a creative breakthrough about business (which is kind of cool). So tasks have an indirect yet very useful role in success.
Alternatively, we have Process which can be divided into two parts; Repeatable and Non-Repeatable. Repeatable Process being something like an assembly line where there are many steps and stages of development that theoretically could be written as a how-to manual for anyone to follow.
Non-repeatable process involves creating something totally unique; like David Allen developing the revolutionary method Getting Things Done. This was a new idea, not based on a preexisting process, which he developed over many years with a great amount of thought and energy. I suspect it was hard. Was his success an accident? How did he a create a Non-Repeatable Process, and how is that different from a Repeatable Process? I suspect this relates to a previous blog post on Skill versus Philosophy which identifies how Skill leads to success, but Skill combined with Philosophy leads to wild success through a non-repeatable process.
In the case of Oprah, Stephen Spielberg, and David Allen, they combined Skill & Philosophy to achieve a Non-Repeatable Process. So you might ask why is this Non-Repeatable? Philosophy and Skill are unique to each person which means the combinations are infinite. So while we can't recreate someone else's Non-Repeatable process, we can create our own.
So I am curious to know where do you spend time in the 2x2 grid? Do you spend equal time in all four quads or do you spend more time in one quadrant? Are you spending time in the best quad for you? Who out there is building a Non-Repeatable process combining Skill and Philosophy?
Where are you in the grid...
Reader Comments (4)
Very stimulating post, Liza. I agree completely that most self-help success stories are non-repeatable. I'll think more about Skill versus Philosophy. I admit I'm having trouble getting my head around the task/process split. Let's talk!
Thanks for noting the task/process split.
Here is the parallel in GTD terms:
Non-Repeatable Task would be a "Single Action"
Repeatable Task would be a Project (containing a series of Next Actions).
Repeatable and Non-Repeatable Process contain a series of a Projects. For Repeatable Process, you know what you are doing which means you have a clear sequence of next actions. With Non-Repeatable Process you are learning, creating the roadmap, so you are defining the next actions.
Non-repeatable processes represent a significant barrier to entry, no? They're also *costly* in terms of thinking and time.
Absolutely, people creating a Non-Repeatable process are visionaries or trendsetters. There will be a small percent of people who travel this path and stay on it.