“History doesn’t repeat itself; human nature stays the same.” – Charlie Munger. There is a PJ that illustrates this mindset. A worker lost a finger while working on a circular saw. His manager went to the site to investigate the accident. “What happened?” he asked in anguish. The worker said, ” I was working on his critical job. I fed it slowly to the rotating saw machine like this, and…..Oh! No!! here goes another finger!!!” What can one say?
Not sure if the beginning quote is exactly what Munger said; I might be paraphrasing it, but this sentiment has been a game-changer for me. This is a helpful explainer about why people do what they do. People (including me) like their own ideas. People (including me) act per their own motives. People (including me) act irrationally & have their own biases. In short, people are gonna do what they’re gonna do. Rather than get frustrated with that, it’s helpful to be curious about their drivers & incentives and adjust. Alvin Toffler, the Futurologist, defined the illiterate of today not as one who cannot read write, but as one who cannot learn, unlearn & relearn. In today’s changing times, this is a survival skill. Ask Nokia, Ask Kodak. Ask PanAm. Ask Borders. Ask Toys r Us.. ..their past success did not protect them when they did not change, relegating them to folklore. If you have not learnt anything new today, check your pulse: you may be dead!!!
Remember what Darwin said oh so long ago, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, … It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” History is replete with skeletons of people & companies that refused to change, as noted earlier. Never gainsay the power of preparation. If you want to be excellent, you have to practice. To do the hard & sometimes boring work requires lots and lots of preparation. Which is why Archilochus reminds us ,” We don’t rise to the level of our aspirations; we fall to the level of our training.”
As a people manager & a leader I have often had to say,” I did not tell you this!! Told you to do it the other way!! Did you not understand? You never even asked a question? Or seek any clarification?? So I assumed, it was all ok. I leave the task to you & see what has happened now!!! a perverse result!! We will now spend enormous time & resource to back-track & undo what you have done so that we can get back on the right path.” Sounds familiar? Where did we go wrong? The answer lies in the preparation & practice. If as a leader you have demonstrated correctly, resolved queries & questions, helped your team see the steps correctly & the pitfalls to avoid, you will increase your chances of success! That is why Napoleon Bonaparte cautioned, ” Train hard; Fight easy!!” Our own Sam Bahadur cautioned his soldiers, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war,”. Flawless execution is dependent on practice, preparation & alignment amongst your team. Remember the grand-old-man Aristotle’s conclusion,” We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”.
This, by the way, is why it’s helpful to love your job – that’s the only way you’ll be able to fall in love with the practice, the routine and the humdrum. Only when you do that, you may steer clear of the situation so well described by Javed sahab’s couplet:
ये तसल्ली है कि हैं नाशाद सब,
मैं अकेला ही नहीं बर्बाद सब | (This is a consolation that everyone is cheerless & unhappy/ I am not the only one who is ruined.) Queen’s English has a saying, “Drowning with friends is a ceremony !!” But organizations are paying us for success, for being able to steer clear of the rough seas & not letting your boat or your organization sink. With the turbulence in the markets today many a organizational ship does capsize, unable to meet the buffeting waves of competition & change. But then a Smooth Sea never made Skilled Sailors. And remember, the Ship is safest in the harbor!! But it was not built to remain in the harbor. It must learn to navigate the open seas, under the captaincy of a learned sailor.
The harsh conditions of life make a person tougher & more capable. Through our experiences, we know that difficult situations often give the best lessons of life!!. To emerge as a good leader, one must be ready to face challenges & grow through adversities. They say that “Magic happens outside our comfort zone”. History is replete with examples of this. And yet…we seek to remain cocooned. We need the restlessness of Ulysses, “ To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Fear is par for the course. But only when we pass through Fear, we learn and grow.
To me the real challenge of leadership is to share the vision of a better tomorrow & the discomfort inherent in the present. This goes back to the classic Dannemiller Formula on how to overcome resistance to change (R). Dannemiller puts it thus : C= D*V*F>R ie Change happens when Dissatisfaction with how things are now*Vision of what is possible*First concrete steps taken towards the vision. If the product of these three factors is greater than R ( resistance) then Change occurs.
Remember if Dissatisfaction, Vision, First Steps : if any of these is zero then the product will be Zero and so Change will not happen.
Presently I am supporting a Business Unit of large engineering major with a program on Cultural Transformation….big word for Change. With a new BU head taking over the unit, he is actively championing a debate on the need for Change. He has a clear Vision of where he wants to reach & is presently busy socializing the need for change…the dissatisfaction with the present. Pulled forward by their vision and encouraging his team to take the First steps to actualize the Vision. On a war footing, we are all working together to overcome the Resistance to change. Fortunately the team is aligned to the new vision & employees are enthusiastic in buy-ing in to the new vision & walking the change path. Of course people are people, old habits die slowly, so we are facing the proverbial one step forward, one step backward; “duck walk” on the road to the vision. But as long as we consistently paint the Vision, show the Dissatisfaction for the present & take (First) concrete steps ( though baby size) we will reach the destination eventually. Change is never clean, it is messy, but as long as direction is set and support & commitment is there यह गाडी तो निकल चुकी (we are on our way) .
Let me end, by repeating the cautionary words of Joseph Campbell : “If you can see your path all the way through to the end, you’re following someone else’s path.” Seek your own, beloved fellow travelers!!!
Remember, not being able to see the end is a plus not a minus: it is helping you follow your own unique path to success. Go for it: chameleon vikas
Vikasblog 