Anyone with even a cursory interest in tech knows of the Gartner Hype Cycle.

How a new technology emerges and the expectations (and at times investments) soar sky high – only for hope to diminish in the face of reality.

I remember a call from an excited tech leader in the mid-1990s. He was sharing how he had made a VOIP (Voice over IP) call with his brother. The quality wasn’t great – but it was a sign of things to come. For leaders in a telecom company, the resultant panic was palpable.

I thought: It’s going to be years before this takes off. Rather than panic, can we plan?

The Gartner Hype Cycle has 5 stages:

Innovation Trigger: The new, shiny idea, objective or gadget with so much promise.

Peak of Inflated Expectations: Where we all agree this is a major game-changer.

Trough of Disillusionment: And when it doesn’t work, or click, or take-off, we lose motivation or interest – or consign it to the rubbish heap.

Slope of Enlightenment: Until we realize we were just rushing too much, or pushing too far – and reset our expectations and modify our actions so that we arrive at the…

Plateau of Productivity: A point where regular effort enables predictable results

How does the Hype Cycle Mirror your Behaviour?

Do you remember a time when you were so sure that that new job, relationship or morning routine would change everything?

And then it didn’t?

Do you recognize this pattern – Perhaps in New Year resolutions, or launching a passion project, or maybe in commitments to be a better mentor, parent or partner?

We go through our own hype cycles. We start with excitement, hit setbacks, and – if we stay with it – find the clarity to determine how to proceed.

Typically, the toughest stage is the disillusion. It’s not that the disillusionment is a failure – it’s often the start of real growth. It’s when the gloss and enthusiasm fades that we see what’s really useful and sustainable.

For me, when starting a morning workout routine – about 12 years ago – I was full of energy and commitment. But that soon diminished. Then I figured a way to build exercise into my day – before the children went to school and before I started my working day.

Of course, there are other things that I haven’t managed to take yet to the plateau of productivity.

And there are things that remain in my ‘peak of inflated expectations’. Actually, too many things.

And maybe that’s a useful insight that I need to break those projects, goals, ideas down and take some concrete steps – however small. And those steps don’t need to be perfect – I can refine them later – but I absolutely, positively do need to take them.

What about you? What are your patterns around the hype cycle?

Do you jump in and inflate your expectations of you?

Is there a pattern around how you slip into the trough of disillusionment?

Moving Through the Cycle

I’m not going to weigh in on the hype cycle around AI – but whatever the hype is around – be it tech or our ambitions – do we need to curb our excitement and stop dreaming?

Probably not.

But maybe we do need to give ourselves time to move through the cycle – ideally with curiosity and without judgment.

And with the acceptance that some things – just as in the innovation hype cycle – will never reach the plateau of productivity.

Maybe we just need to be conscious of sticking with those that truly are important to us.

And that’s where using both our rational and our emotional brains helps us. Where we can blend both the logic around our performance with our feelings about our goals – and tune into which really are important, purposeful and meaningful to us.

You can learn more about the Gartner Hype Cycle here.