Page 160 - Make Work Great

Leading Your Crystal

Either way, the punch line is compelling: “That’s just how we do
things around here.” Many of us can relate to this workplace expe-
rience—trying to do something so obviously sensible and in return
being beaten up by those around us for no rational reason beyond a
vague reference to policy.
For our purposes, let’s treat our monkey story as a fable and take

it a little further. Imagine now that one of the five newcomers takes a
different approach. Rather than making a beeline for the bananas and
suffering the wrath of the others, our chosen one wanders over to the
ladder one day and stands nearby—just stands there—for a moment,
before moving on. Then she repeats this behavior over time, progres-
sively spending more and more time closer and closer to the ladder. If
the progression is slow enough, the others will come to regard it as a
normal part of their day. One day, she taps a single foot on the fi rst
rung—ever so briefl y—and then removes it.
You see, no doubt, where this is going: other members of the envi-
ronment absorb slow, incremental, and habitual changes more easily
than quick ones. It is a point we have covered many times in this book
and in many ways. So let’s skip to the end. Fast-forward to the moment
that our heroine, loitering near the top of the ladder in a way that the
group has come to expect and allow, fi nally reaches up and grabs the
bananas. Amid surprise, fear, and possibly a little hostile screeching,
she rips apart the bunch, tosses a banana or two to each of her com-
patriots, and triumphantly begins to eat one. And then . . .
Nothing happens. Nothing bad happens, and nothing terribly
exciting happens either. Viewed from outside, it’s just a bunch of
monkeys eating bananas.
Yet at that moment, life in the cage has permanently changed. It
is different for everyone, and most especially, it is different for our
heroine. She probably doesn’t fully realize it. She may be reveling in
the taste of her banana or in the appreciation of those around her.
Perhaps she is looking forward to a few extra dollars in her paycheck,
a promotion, or a plaque and a 20-dollar gift certifi cate to a local
eatery as a thank-you from monkey management.

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