Shiny New Object Syndrome

“Hello, my name’s Phil, and I suffer from Shiny New Object Syndrome.” There I’ve said it.

‘Shiny New Object Syndrome’ is the tendency for someone to repeatedly go chasing after something new, be it a new idea, project or goal, rather than staying focused on what they’re supposed to be doing or targeting.

Many a Monday morning I’d rush into the office with a brilliant new idea, a fantastic new project, or a new management system that I’d read about, and excitedly announce that we were going to go full pelt on it.

By the end of the month/quarter my enthusiasm had withered and faded and the project dropped…. only for the NEXT brilliant new idea to be championed.

It was only when a Business Coach who we’d brought in to look at the whole business, told me that the general feeling of the team was ‘FFS Phil, just leave us to our jobs and take your brilliant new ideas elsewhere’, did I realise that I was the issue. I realised that a) I was a sufferer and more importantly b) it was actually damaging the business (despite my best intentions!) There were just too many ideas coming out of me!

However I do strongly believe that the enthusiasm of a Shiny New Object sufferer is often a pre-requisite for starting and running a business, whether it be your own, or as a boss. You almost need those sparks to ignite your business ideas.

And now, as a Business Sounding Board, I see it on a regular basis, and can help clients recognise it, work with it and channel it for the good of their business.

The Positives of Shiny New Object Syndrome

I don’t believe having these Shiny New Object ideas is the issue. My opinion is that although you might feel that you ‘suffer’ from this you shouldn’t stop it. This is ‘innovation in action’ and needs to continue. But, it does need to be managed; it needs managing, controlling and channelling so we don’t lose the positive aspects of it. External appraisal, whether that be a Sounding Board like myself, or ‘internal external’ appraisal (management team, colleagues etc) is I think one of the keys. Having a strong team who are willing to challenge your new ideas is key, and being willing to push back and say ‘no’, as is understanding timing and prioritisation.

One of the issues is perhaps a lack of standing back and planning, because as part of the planning process it will always be obvious whether or not the ‘fantastic new idea’ fits with the long, or short, term plan. And in addition, how do we judge whether or not the idea will have wings? And we need to avoid cramping creativity because every 10 new ideas, perhaps one will have the wings to deliver on the big plan. For example, maybe having someone who can sift through the shiny new things, pick out the gems, and work their magic to implement in a less disruptive manner. And don’t forget there are plenty of examples of businesses that have failed because they do things ‘the way they’ve always been done’, and haven’t implemented new ideas and new ways of doing things.

If you stop / manage out a natural part of your authentic self, the endless ideas, you are perhaps no longer bringing your whole self to your business. You might be managing out the big difference that you bring.

With this in mind I, and probably you, need to stop thinking of myself as a ‘sufferer’. We need to see it as a strength. It’s only a problem if it’s taking you (and me) away from what you and I are aiming at. We do need to be given the space and freedom to scratch our ‘SNO itch’ but an external ‘sifter’ is a great complementary help.

The Negatives of Shiny New Object Syndrome

Having discussed this with a client they told me “I’ve lived through working for someone like this. It’s not fun, especially when each idea is more ludicrous than the next and in the meantime the business is going down the toilet due to a lack of focus.”

As Shiny New Object Syndrome sufferers, we think we’re doing it for the best but we very often don’t see the damage that it causes. As the above quote highlights, it’s all about lack of focus. It’s a key trigger for it I think.

And finally let me leave you with this quote from a contact of mine;
“After time, I realised that an idea in the mind is pretty useless. I could come up with 1,000 business ideas in a year, yet in my mind, they’re worth quite little in the real world. I’ve come up with at least 5 new ideas earlier this week that I was really excited about and can’t even remember half of them now already!”

What Next?

If any of the above resonated with you and you’d like to discuss how I could help you on your journey as a Business Owner, then please give me a call, drop me an email or connect with me on LinkedIn.

I’ll be happy to have chat with you to explore how I may be able to help you. I’ll be honest and I may not be able to help you myself and in that scenario I’ll try and point you in the right direction. However, you might find a peer-to-peer business mentoring group is better for you.

If you’d like to receive great advice, tips and tales to help you on your business journey, make sure you don’t miss out. Sign up to my free newsletter, and you can also see and hear my discussions, interviews and webinar appearances here.

Still unsure if I can help you? Take a look at What you’ll get from me and what my clients say about me.