Albert Einstein said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing;" "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding;" "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (click to enlarge)
Intelligent people aren’t all that hard to come by — just turn on Jeopardy! Or drop by your local spelling bee — but real geniuses are exceedingly rare, and any given generation is lucky just to have a handful of them in their midst.
It’s the end of the calendar year and it’s time for New Year’s Resolutions and Renewing commitments. The worst part of success is complacency. Webster’s defines complacency as “self satisfied and unaware of possible dangers.
Often times January and February are lethargic months; still dark in the morning, often cold, at times snowy, employee morale can slip and it’s the post holiday let down the doldrums’! As a business we must continue to maintain the improvements, gain knowledge, make changes and achieve the next level of improvements.
In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni shared the model:
- Absence of trust—unwilling to be vulnerable within the group
- Fear of conflict—seeking artificial harmony over constructive passionate debate
- Lack of commitment—feigning buy-in for group decisions creates ambiguity throughout the organization
- Avoidance of accountability—ducking the responsibility to call peers on counterproductive behavior sets low standards
- Inattention to results—focusing on personal success, status and ego before team success
If we can address these five foundational issues, we can move forward; we cannot be complacent.
When we consider our future and the positive changes we have achieved collectively; we should credit our culture, your willingness to change and transparency. Success is the future will require confront reality. Success is measured in the moment. Prior to 1954 it was considered impossible for man to run a sub 4:00 minute mile; the Roger Bannister ran 3:59.4! In 1967 and again in 1975 Jim Ryan ran 3:51 minute miles. Today the world’s record is 15 seconds faster than Bannister, 3:43:15. Success is in the movement.
Be honest about the consequences of growth. There’s no way we can be the same company with 200 people that we were with 50 people. We must preserve the core, God, Family and Community and be willing to change everything else.
Believe in your core but don’t be afraid to change.
Without a belief in the fundamental mission of your business, there’s no spine to hold up the organization. But spines can bend, too; and must, or arthritis sets in. Every company needs a piece of itself that reminds it of what it was.
General Collin Powell wrote, “’If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It’s an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms.”
There are other keys to improvement, education and change. Listen first practice accountability; clarify expectations and keep commitments are keys.
As we charge into 2012, let’s remember to maintain the improvements, gain knowledge, make changes and achieve the next level of improvements.
It’s the voice of life that calls us to learn….
Activist Caroline Casey tells the story of her extraordinary life, starting with a revelation (no spoilers). In a talk that challenges perceptions, Casey asks us all to move beyond the limits we may think we have.
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