Effective Leaders Do Not Take Shortcuts
Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash
Today's second topic is a book review – ‘How the World Really Works’
Word Count: About 900 approximate reading time 3 to 5 minutes. Please share your thoughts in the comments. Please be kind and subscribe to my newsletter.
Inc published an article talking about five roadblocks to building a winning culture. Articles like this annoy me because they oversimplify complex topics by providing shortcuts, hacks, or incomplete solutions. They skip over the hard work of leadership.
In this case, the article overlooks the intricacies of the definition of culture. There are many definitions of culture. Culture is a collective set of values, behaviors, philosophies, and practices that groups of people share. Different groups have different cultures. Every one of us is a member of multiple cultural groups. Cultures evolve. They are dynamic and continually changing.
Changing culture is like changing the course of an aircraft carrier. If the ship is sailing north and needs to begin traveling Southwest, the turn will take time and distance. The obvious path is to steer to the west until a southwest heading is reached. But depending on the weather, shorelines, and the position of the rest of the fleet, it may be necessary to turn east and take the longer path to reach the new direction.
One cannot argue with the five roadblocks described in the article. They are barriers to change. The article passes over the most demanding work. The hard work involves genuinely understanding the current culture, defining what the culture needs to become, and determining the evolutionary path you need to follow. Removing roadblocks is only the first step.
A movie quote from The Martian is relevant as you embark on a culture change journey.
"At some point, everything's gonna go south and you're going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now, you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That's all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem and you solve the next one and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home."
Changing culture is about changing one practice, one value, and one behavior over time. It is about making those changes in so many individuals until the change becomes the new normal.
How the World Really Works – The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going by Vaclav Smil
In his book, Vaclav Smil explores several topics that are subjects of major issues we debate today. Many of those issues are not discussed as holistically as we think. This book can teach leaders how to look at strategic planning from a deeper perspective. Two chapters highlight this.
Chapter One is Understanding Energy. Smil explores the issues of fossil fuel use in the context of the energy requirements needed to support our world today. By translating all of our needs into energy requirements, he can talk about all energy sources from a single point of view. This approach enables Smil to point out that we will remain dependent on fossil fuels for the foreseeable future. In the first twenty years of this century, the amount of energy generated from renewable sources increased 50-fold, while the dependence on fossil fuels declined by only 2%. In this context, discussing increasing our renewable energy capacity is not an existential threat to the Oil & Gas or Coal industries.
Chapter Five focuses on understanding risk in the context of controllable and uncontrollable risk. Many activities contain elements of both. Driving is an example. We can drive as safely as possible, but we cannot control the unsafe behaviors of the people in the car next to us. We have all seen people driving and looking at their phones. Uncontrollable risks are those that we can only mitigate. We can install storm shelters to protect us from tornados. Some risks are voluntary. Base jumping or climbing to the summit of Mt. Everest are personal choices based on individual risk tolerance. Human behavior can lead us to make bizarre choices. When facing the uncontrollable, people will often make risky choices to feel like they have control. We will go to extremes to protect ourselves from improbable events or ignore real risks because we don't do the math.
Mr. Smil's book allows us to learn how to look at strategic decision-making and problem-solving pragmatically so we can focus on what we can and should do.
A link to order your copy is available on the Recommended Reading page of my website.
What I'm Up To
I entered my Old Tascosa Black Bean Chili in a Super Bowl Chili Cookoff. I did not win.
Thanks to all who wished me a happy birthday earlier this month. Survival, with good health and a strong family, is a good thing. I don’t know how to act my age because I’ve never been this old before. So I divide by 10; life was good when I was 6.
In the last edition, I mentioned starting golf lessons. My game is worse because everything feels awkward. Changing well established habits is hard, but you have to trust the process.
Chips and Salsa: Snack-sized news and posts
Often the most dangerous saboteurs are those who do not realize what they are doing.
Inc. - Eight Ways to Sabotage a Meeting
I think I read this article before. I'm pretty sure I like it then too.
Scientific American - What Causes Déjà Vu?
This report came out just before the State of the Union Address. There is a lot of interesting information to think about.
I like the idea of bouncing forward. When things do not go our way, we need to look for the opportunity that the unexpected brings.
LeadershipNow - How to bounce forward
Always be curious.
Inc – The further you wander, the happier you will be.
AI is at an inflection point. We do not know where it will go, but we must begin placing some bets.
HAVE FUN!
NPR - Make a habit of having fun
Quotes
“You only live once - but if you work it right, once is enough.”
- Mae West
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted.”
- David Bly
The Leader With A Thousand Faces can be ordered on the Recommended Reading Page of my website.
My goal is to make this newsletter as interesting and valuable as possible. Please share your thoughts and suggestions for improvement. If there are specific topics in leadership you would like me to focus on in future issues, please send them my way.
