Sustainable development in business doesn’t happen in a single leap. It’s built in motion, through small, purposeful tests that push us beyond what’s comfortable.
That’s what little experiments are for. They’ve become a core part of navigating change, challenging my assumptions, and learning, especially when the path ahead isn’t clear.
This isn’t about high-stakes bets or sweeping strategy shifts. It’s about something far more sustainable: making iteration a daily habit.
Small experiments help us stretch without snapping. They create momentum, surface fresh insight, and drive the adaptability that today’s environment demands.
Why do small experiments work?
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s this: waiting for the perfect moment is a losing strategy.
The pace of change is relentless, and uncertainty is constant.
The most successful leaders aren’t the ones with perfect plans. They’re the ones who stay in motion. Little experiments offer a way forward. They help you:
- Make decisions faster with feedback
- Test ideas safely and adjust quickly
- Build confidence and resilience
- Stay sharp, curious, and ready
And perhaps most importantly: they keep you learning. In a world where success is increasingly iterative, experimentation becomes an operating system for innovation.
So, how do you do it? How do you make experimentation part of your everyday rhythm instead of something you only talk about during strategic planning retreats?
You start small, stay curious, and treat motion as the goal.
These five practices are simple by design; however, they are powerful in application. They’ll help you stay flexible, responsive, and forward-moving even when the future feels fuzzy.
Tweak a routine: We are creatures of habit. That’s good for efficiency; however, it’s not always ideal for growth.
Changing even one small thing about how you operate can rewire how you think and what you notice. Maybe it’s moving your creative work to the morning instead of cramming it between meetings.
Perhaps it’s flipping the order of your staff agenda or running a customer check-in as a walk-and-talk.
Small disruptions spark fresh thinking, which can lead to real breakthroughs.
Test an idea before it’s ready: You don’t need a polished pitch to start sharing. And you don’t need to be 100 per cent confident to act.
Run the experiment anyway. Float the concept. Ask the question. Bring the slide that’s only halfway built. Trying before you’re ready shortens the learning loop and teaches you what works in the real world, not just in your head. Permit yourself to make mistakes.
Progress beats perfection — every time.
Schedule one hour of learning: If it’s not on your calendar, it’s not real. One hour a week - that’s it - make it count.
Use it to explore something unfamiliar: a podcast on customer psychology, a new sales enablement tool, a webinar you’d usually skip. Or use it to reflect and recalibrate.
Development and improvement aren’t an event. It’s a rhythm.
Track what you’re learning: A key part of any experiment is reflection. What happened? What surprised you?
What did you learn? What would you change next time?
Writing it down turns motion into insight. It also improves one's ability to connect dots, iterate faster, and communicate what one is learning to others.
Feedback is fuel. Don’t skip this part.
Celebrate the stretch: Not everything needs to be a win to be worth doing. In fact, one of the best things you can do for yourself and your staff is to reward the effort, the courage, the creative risk.
Talk about what didn’t work. Share what you learned. Shine a light on the experiment that didn’t hit the mark but got everyone thinking differently.
When you reinforce the stretch, you reinforce the behaviour. That’s how habits — and growth — stick.
Need inspiration?
Sometimes, the most challenging part is knowing where to begin. If you’re looking for small, low-risk ways to test something new, try one of these.
- Replace your afternoon scroll with a 15-minute industry podcast.
- Ask one customer a question you’ve never asked before.
- Block an hour for deep work before checking your emails.
- Rotate meeting responsibilities among staff members for one month.
These aren’t revolutionary moves; however, they shift how we think, connect, and grow. That’s what makes them powerful.
Little experiments are how we condition our ‘change readiness’ muscle so that when disruption shows up - and it always does - we’re already in motion.
Here’s your challenge for the week: What three little experiments will you run right now? Write them down. Share them with your staff and take action on one of them today.
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