One Apple A Day #894 - everyone has the power
Everyone has the power to affect the direction of an organization.
from Be The Change cards by Vanessa Jane Smith
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the "hold on" attitude I often noticed in many contexts in this pandemic era. I'm aware, though, that it's not just due to the pandemic. How many people do you hear complaining about how things are and expecting someone or something to solve everything in one go?
This attitude has a name, the Silver Bullet Syndrom. It is the belief that one big change - a new tool, methodology or structure - will miraculously or magically solve all problems.
Unfortunately, not only this assumption is almost invariably wrong. It also creates a sort of paralysis holding back people from seeing all the many small changes they could implement. Sure, a little initiative won't change much, but the results can be remarkable when many small changes compound.
I notice this often in organizations.
Unhappy people waiting for their leader to magically solve everything. Only to be disappointed most of the time, even when a big change happens.
Benjamin Hardy suggests that we should design our behaviours on our future self. That means understanding who we want to become tomorrow and begin today to act as if we were already that person. This way, our behaviours will shape our personality.
However, in his book Principles of Topological Psychology, published in 1936, psychologist Kurt Lewin defined a simple yet powerful equation: Behaviour is a function of the Person in his or her Environment, or B = f (P,E).
So, as we design our behaviours on the person we want to become, we should also develop them according to the environment we want to shape.
Just try asking yourself the following questions.
How is the company or environment in which I want to work?
What are the key behaviours or habits in such an environment?
What is holding me back from implementing these behaviours or habits today?
And then go for it. Act as if you were already working in your dream organisation. It won't change things instantly, obviously, but give it enough time, and it will change everything for you and others.
Remember, every action you take is a vote for the type of organization you wish to work in.
Image from Be The Change cards.