The 1080 Government
Lessons from skateboarding for public sector innovators
In 2014 I had the privilege of opening the first GovMaker Conference with a story about Andy Scott, a remarkable individual who taught me the power of grace, being open to new perspectives, and leading with openness and compassion. His leadership style resonated with me. Much of his story highlights the importance of allowing ourselves to be changed by new information. He was a courageous and collaborative leader.
Then I pivoted; a 180 of you will. I shared some lessons I picked up from the innovative practice of skateboarding 🛹 I did this with an audience primarily made up of bureaucrats 😱
So, in honour of GovMaker season, I am revisiting those lesson.
In skateboarding, the 1080-degree spin seen as impossible to pull off. Similarly, innovation in government is seen by many as impossible. While there are no silver bullets or magic wands for achieving transformational change in government, there are conditions that can help us break free from legacy systems, unfreeze embedded behaviours and challenge mental models that prevent innovation in the public sector. Drawing inspiration from skateboarding, we can uncover valuable lessons applicable to the world of open government and innovation.
1)Community provides support for emerging practice
The Bones Brigade was the skate team that produced the most innovative skaters in history. This team demonstrates the power of community when pushing the limits of a practice. This tracks well with the famous Google study that uncovered the dynamics of innovative and effective teams, finding that psychological safety was the critical factor. If you watch the Bones Brigade documentary, you can see how this team understood this value decades before Google’s study.
Who wouldn’t like to be able to take risks on their team without feeling insecure or embarrassed?
This is the most important factor in creating a culture of innovation. You have to have shared psychological safety if you’re expected to try something new.
2) Bailing is part of the process.
Skateboarding teaches us that failure is an integral part of the learning process. Tony Hawk, the most famous skateboarder of all time, fell three times before successfully landing the first 900-degree spin. Similarly, we must create a supportive environment that allows civil servants to take calculated risks. Encouraging safe-to-fail experimentation and embracing and embracing failure as a part of the process and not a shortcoming will ultimately lead to innovation. You shouldn’t drop into a Megaramp your first time on a skateboard. We need to find ways to fail small before scaling up to large pilots.
3) Makers/Innovators/Possibilists push the boundaries
Innovators and pioneers demonstrate what is possible. Once a breakthrough occurs, others can build upon it and push the boundaries further. Just as skateboarders master new tricks by learning from each other, we need to foster mentorship and develop communities of practice within the open government sphere. By sharing knowledge and skills, we can support one another and drive innovation. Rodney Mullen is widely considered the godfather of skateboarding for doing this time and time again. The most famous example of this happened in 1999 when Tony Hawk landed the first 900-degree spin on a skateboard. This is no easy feat. Since then, there have been dozens of other successful landings. Why? 1: he demonstrated it was possible. 2: the platforms for skateboarding have improved. Incredibly in 2012, history was made again when, at the age of 12, Tom Schaar landed the first 1080-degree spin on a skateboard. Once a concept is proven, our mental models of what is possible are challenged, and we are free to execute.
4) Platforms enable practice, experimentation and collaboration
Skateboarding has its “mega ramp” — a platform that enables extraordinary feats. In the context of open government, we need equivalent platforms to support and accelerate innovation. We can create an environment conducive to groundbreaking ideas and collaborations by bringing together seasoned experts and fresh perspectives.
Embracing change and innovation is at the heart of open government. We can learn valuable lessons from the world of skateboarding. Like skateboarders, we must be willing to fail, push the boundaries, support and learn from each other. By creating platforms for collaboration, fostering mentorship, and providing room for experimentation, we can drive innovation in policy development and citizen engagement. Like skateboarders to Tony Hawk, let us be inspired by Andy Scott’s example and approach to leadership in the public sector.
Check out GovMaker Redux on June 14th, 2023, at the University of New Brunswick Wu Centre.
