Apple Pie Positions
Photo by Oat Appleseed on Unsplash
We've all been in leadership/strategy meetings where someone presents an idea that has a lot of uncertainty or risk. Maybe you've been that person. Maybe the idea is to change an aspect of the business, try a "big swing" experiment, or make a critical strategic decision. That idea might have merit and need exploring. It might even be a game-changer. What usually happens next?
If your leadership team has a strong, open culture, that idea will get some space to be considered. Poor leadership squashes it right away to keep the meeting moving. Most teams are in the middle of these ends of the spectrum.
Sometimes something insidious creeps into this discussion--someone takes the "apple pie position." The term is coined by Shreyas Dosh. The person suggests something that everyone agrees with (and makes them sound smart), but it stops everyone from thinking about the original idea.
Apple Pie Position: A statement that instantly elevates the person who is saying it and is simultaneously hard for anyone else to push back on, and so everyone avoids the personal risk and just nods “yes”, even though its actual value in this specific situation might be relatively low, zero, or even negative.
Everyone likes apple pie, but it's never the best choice. And choosing apple pie, prevents you from finding something better. It distracts you from doing the important things.
When a statement is introduced into a conversation that is impossible to disagree with, it has the power to divert everyone's thinking from the original idea. Everyone nods their head to this position, because of course it's true. Yes, implementing the new idea might have challenges. (By definition it should be hard, or you'd have done it already, right?) However, we need to be thinking about the future of the business (or product), not shooting holes in the ideas.
Shreyas has a few wonderful examples of apple pie positions. Have you heard any of these in meetings?
We need to define the success metrics for <whatever is being discussed>
Do you have any data to back that up? We need more metrics before making a decision here.
Let us not forget [quote one of the company’s core values].
What should happen when someone drops one of these into the discussion?
First, having a cute and memorable name for this helps. You can call out the apple pie position quickly, if everyone knows the definition.
Even if folks don't know the name, when you spot this, put an end to it quickly. I find it works to say, "of course that's important, but let's come back around to it later." ("Circle back," if that turn of phrase suits you.)
In a recent position, I had a suggestion for an alternative revenue stream. To get started would have taken folks off other work, and it would have taken outsized efforts by some core people. Because finishing the ongoing work was a core value, that was used as justifying not taking on the new revenue. Everyone else on the leadership team nodded their heads, and the idea was dispelled.
Watch out for those apple pie positions. Who knows what you're missing out on because folks want to sound smart in the meeting.