Validate Your Ideas Without Invalidating Your Leadership

I remember when Facebook first (noticeably) altered the way that we experienced the newsfeed. To that point, it appeared to be based on actual chronology of our friends posts. Suddenly, it changed to relevance. People were outraged. How can Facebook tell me whats relevant? We demanded that Facebook change back to the old way of interacting, but that chapter of our Facebook experience closed forever. Our social media experience today is all about engagement. According to research, if we dont engage with a post, its not worth seeing it in the feed.

Despite what we wanted, Facebook had a different idea. It gave us what we needed, not what we wanted. Facebook was concerned with engagement, and believed that relevance yields engagement. The more relevant a post, the more we engage with it. The more we engage with it, the more relevant it becomes. Facebook also had an ulterior motive: It needed to stay relevant. And by focusing in on what people need, it has maintained its status as the leader in social media by translating our relevance to its relevance. There are many online gurus right now telling you to validate your products and services before you bring them to market. Many so-called experts say you should poll your audience, ask them what they think, and then develop a product (or service) to accommodate the answer. The logic seems valid, but its flawed. People vote with their actions, not with their words. Facebook was watching the actual data while you were busy searching for validation. The gurus give you this advice because its the easy way out. If your product doesnt sell, its because you didnt validate it with your audience first. If your audience didnt validate it, its because your product isnt relevant. Trust me, thats a vortex you dont want to get lost in. Rather than ask you what you wanted, Facebook studied your actual habits and the data surrounding those habits. It then determined what you want when you couldnt even articulate it yourself. Not surprisingly, Apple, Microsoft, Google , and other technology titans do the same thing. Are the products that they roll out each year the ones we have asked for? Obviously not, but what they do roll out are products and services that we race to acquire. How do they know so much about us and our habits? They pay attention.

How are you paying attention to your audience and validating your ideas without sacrificing your position as a leader to your tribe? Its an important question, because when the crowd sees you asking for too much input, it subconsciously and automatically invalidates your position of authority. After all, why are you be leading if you dont even know where youre going? A true leader always knows where theyre going, even when they dont. Thats what youre projecting, at least. Here are three ways you can validate your ideas and maintain your leadership status.

Create Conversations, Not Questions

Email is an outdated method of communication. Agree or disagree? Why? Thats a conversation starter. Rather than seek a simple yes or no, you are instigating a debate on the topic. Youll get so much more mileage out of the post, along with meaningful information for you to readily determine if you should still be sending email to your followers. You can also chime in and move the conversation in different directions, enabling you to focus in on critical decision-making information.

Contrast that with, Do you find my email newsletter valuable? Not only does this question invite a dead-end yes or no response, it tells you nothing about why your customers may or may not want your newsletter. More importantly, it invites your customer to question the value you place on your newsletter. If you thought it was valuable, would you really be asking the question?

Start Walking and See If They Follow

I always wanted to put on an event for creatives to show them how to make more money doing what they love. Events, however, involve a lot of risk. There are expenses, no-shows, and many other potential snags. Rather than simply announce an event, I started walking towards one. I started writing articles towards that demographic. I shot out some videos on social media. I jumped into conversations happening in forums and Facebook groups. The validation was there, but no one realized I was looking for it. In fact, all I was doing was contributing. Once I received the validation I needed, I set up my first event. Its shaping up nicely, and I was able to ensure the audience was built in before I ever took a single risk on the event. You can do the same.

Walking in the direction of your ideas means dropping little bread crumbs and seeing if your customers eat them. If they do, your idea is validated even without you ever asking. If you dont receive the validation you need, you can pivot quickly because the investment was small. Drop a different bread crumb in a different direction and see what happens.

Be Humble and Dont Blame Your Customers

One of the quickest ways to invalidate yourself as a leader is by bragging when youre right and/or blaming your customers when youre wrong. If youre leading your customers in the correct direction, just be humble and keep moving forward. You lose focus on the goal when you take the time to pat yourself on the back for being clairvoyant. Likewise, if you miss the mark, you instantly destroy your leadership status when you blame your customers. If you miss it, own the miss and keep moving forward.

Idea validation is a big topic these days. Some entrepreneurs and business owners wont even risk an step without validation. The methods of validation being taught, however, are wired to undermine your validity as a leader. If you want to ensure your customers will follow you, apply these tips and youll see the strength of your vision enhanced.