Introducing "Food for Thought" #11. The formula is simple: three short messages once a week to feed your mind.
Culture
Two fundamental tensions in an organizational culture
While leading a workshop with Benoît Chalifoux, I became aware of Adam Grant's research, which identifies two fundamental tensions in an organizational culture: relationships vs. results, and rules vs. risks. He argues that ignoring one of these values can lead to one of the following deadly sins:
- Toxicity: achieving results at the expense of relationships, and tolerating disrespect, abuse of power and egos. According to Grant, this is the most deadly sin of any corporate culture.
- Mediocracy: putting relationships before results. This translates into a lack of accountability and a preoccupation with getting everyone to get along, even if everyone's performance is mediocre.
- Bureaucracy: just rules and no risk. New ideas are seen as threats to the status quo, putting the brakes on innovation.
- Anarchy: no rules. People do what they want, and forget about strategy, which can lead to chaos.
Source:Adam Grant
Productivity
Probability of achieving a goal
10% if you hear an idea
- Running is good for your health
25% if you consciously decide to adopt it
- I'm going to start running
40% if you decide when to do it
- I go running every morning before work
50% if you plan how to do it
- I'm going to make this journey and prepare my clothes the day before
65% if you make a commitment to another person
- I'm going to make a commitment with a friend to achieve this new goal
95% if you have an accountability meeting with the person you have committed to
- I'm going to meet a running partner at the park to run with me.
Source:Association for Talent Development
Leadership
Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it.
A Bengals player was assessed a penalty with 8 seconds remaining in Sunday's soccer game. The penalty likely cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl.
One bad game, one mistake or one bad decision does not define a career. Rather, it's how we react to adversity that defines a career. When faced with adversity, how do you analyze your problem? How do you accept it? Do you draw on past experience to overcome it? Do you adopt a positive attitude? What lessons have you learned?
