Different places to look for opportunity
How different business mindsets shape where people look for opportunity is deeply tied to attention. What we attend to determines what we perceive, and ultimately, what we act on. Our attention biases therefore, act as a filter for opportunity. Our attention is a spotlight, defining the boundaries of what’s visible. Each mindset trains that spotlight differently.
Attention determines what feels like an “opportunity” at all.
Business Development-Focused
Opportunity is seen as something external to be acquired or optimized. Attention is on externalities - the market, customers, competitors. Opportunity is seen where there’s demand to be captured.
WHERE OPPORTUNITY IS LOOKED FOR
Growth through market expansion, sales, partnerships, and customer acquisition.
New markets or customer segments (e.g. geographic expansion, verticals)
Partnerships and alliances to extend reach or capabilities
Sales funnel optimization and lead generation strategies
Upselling/cross-selling within existing accounts
Competitive positioning and differentiation
Typical Questions:
“Where can we sell more?”
“Who else needs what we offer?”
“How do we increase our share of wallet?”
Business Transformation-Focused
Opportunity is seen as something internal to be realigned and strengthened. Attention is on internalities - systems, ways of working, alignment, ability. Opportunity is seen where there’s friction to be resolved.
WHERE OPPORTUNITY IS LOOKED FOR
Structural or systemic change to improve performance, alignment, or scalability.
Inefficiencies or bottlenecks in current operations
Misalignments between strategy, structure, and execution
Capability gaps that hinder growth or agility
Customer journey pain points that erode value
Technology leverage for automation or integration
Shadow processes that are unofficial but that people rely on to get things done.
Workarounds and hacks that demonstrate that the system isn’t serving its users.
Unspoken norms that shape behavior but aren’t documented.
Vanity KPIs that hide deeper issues.
Lagging indicators that miss early warning signs.
Data that’s collected but not used.
Where the mission and the metrics don’t match.
Where teams are busy but not aligned.
Where decisions are made without clarity of purpose.
Typical Questions:
“What’s holding us back?”
“How do we scale without breaking?”
“Where are we misaligned with our goals or customers?”
Business Innovation-Focused
Opportunity is seen as something undiscovered, waiting to be invented or revealed. Attention is on the edges and the future. Opportunity is seen where no-one else is even looking - the gaps and the spaces where there is potential to invent or reimagine.
WHERE OPPORTUNITY IS LOOKED FOR
Creating new value through novel products, services, models, or experiences.
Unmet or emerging customer needs
Trends and weak signals in the market or society
Adjacent possibilities outside the core business
New business models or revenue streams
Experiments and prototypes that reveal new paths
Typical Questions:
“What’s next?”
“What if we did it differently?”
“How might we create something entirely new?”