I have already written about what I call the “Discovery Misconception #1: thinking that discovery is a process.” In two recent articles, I explain that discovery is not a process, but a set of tools to mitigate risks and a mindset.

When I give examples of discovery as a mindset, I often mention Osteria Francescana and how they created their most famous dessert, “Oops, I dropped the lemon tart,” or Etsy’s well-known “three-armed sweater award” for engineers who made the most spectacular mistake of the year. Sometimes I bring up the story of the Post-it note. At 3M, the team was trying to create a very strong glue, but one experiment resulted in the opposite: a weak, reusable glue. Spencer Silver, one of the chemists, showed it to Art Fry, a colleague who sang in a choir and needed something to mark pages of his sheet music—regular tape damaged the paper, and loose slips always fell. The weak glue worked perfectly, and Post-it notes were born. All because Art Fry had a discovery mindset.

Still, whenever I talk about discovery as a mindset and use these stories, I feel something’s missing: first-hand experiences. People who know me know I usually illustrate ideas with stories from my own career. Well, not anymore! I just remembered two moments when I personally lived discovery as a mindset.

In a drugstore

The photo below was taken after a full day of work at Gympass. I was still wearing my Gympass T-shirt when I stopped by Drogasil, a large drugstore chain in Brazil. As I talked with the pharmacy attendant, she noticed the T-shirt and called out to a colleague, “Hey, look, someone from Gympass is here!” I immediately put on my discovery hat and began asking how they used the corporate benefit.

They were happy to talk. They said they used it two or three times a week at a gym near home, and sometimes at one close to the store. They also gave a few suggestions on how we could improve the app and the gym experience. That quick stop turned into a valuable discovery session.

Visting Drogasil

In an Uber

The second moment was quite similar. I was in London for leadership meetings at Gympass. Uber was one of our clients, and they offered Gympass not only to their employees but also to their drivers.

After one of the meetings, I ordered an Uber. Again, I was wearing the Gympass T-shirt. The driver immediately asked if I worked there. When I said yes, he told me he had just received the new benefit and was thrilled—he could stop between rides to get a workout in. We had a great conversation, and I learned a lot about how he was using the product.

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