Page 93 - Getting to the Heart of High Performance

THE SIX MINOR CYCLES

The defining feature of minor cycles is the unfair exchange
that takes place between the two people involved. One
person is giving better treatment than the other. This cre-

ates an unbalanced relationship, and the big question is,
“Who will prevail?”

All of us know what it feels like to be in a person-to-per-
son loop where we’re being shortchanged. It’s unpleasant.

Our natural impulse is to get even or get away from the
other person.

So minor cycles tend to be short-lived. Without reciprocity

to help them endure, they ordinarily migrate toward one
of the major cycles. The two people soon resolve the
imbalance in the social exchange either by parting ways or
by shifting to a major cycle where they’re treating one

another the same.

Nine Cycles and No More 77