All businesses and people Lock-in. Lock-in is beneficial at helping us to be productive. We work faster because Lock-in helps us use assumptions to move rapidly toward a goal, using a Success Formula as a guide. The goal of The Phoenix Principle is to help us be aware of and manage Lock-in, and find opportunities for new Success Formulas that can produce better results.
This was driven home to me just today. I was talking with a company in a very high transaction business. They outsource transactions for other businesses. In transitioning up a new customer the company agreed "to move 80% of volume to the offshore facility" by a certain date. When I read this I was anticipating they were in big trouble, because the company was considerably away from handling 80% of transactions in the new offshore facility.
When I asked the company President about this he looked at me and said "we transferred all the complex transactions offshore first. Once we get those set up the simple ones transfer easy and fast. We’re doing well over 80% of the work hours in our offshore facility, since complex transactions take many multiples of the work hours required by simple transactions." Bang! Was I Locked-in, or what? I jumped to volume = transactions. Volume didn’t mean transactions, but rather work hours! Imissed that not all transactions are equal.
I was reminded that we all have to be aware of how easily we Lock-in (myself included). We have to seek out input from others who don’t have our Lock-in and be open to really listen to that feedback. "Outsiders" can provide different interpretations of what we see with our own eyes – but unconsciously modify through the lenses of our Success Formula.