Page 72 - The Resilient Organization

Performance Traps 59

FEATURES OF VERY LOW PERFORMANCE

• Threat-rigidity syndrome (paralyzed to inaction in the face of a
threat)
• Failure trap (changing direction too often, without giving any strat-
egy a chance to work)
• High risk taking (seeing drastic action as the only chance for sur-
vival)
• Inward-focused attention (internal fighting, blame games)
• High cost of change (no time for experimental learning or option
development)

Since most of us, like President Obama upon entering the White House,
cannot start from “a clean slate,” we should carefully manage the potential
of past performance to be the enemy of resilience. High success has its well-
known dangers in excess, mediocrity needs something to shake itself off,
and very low performance tends to run out of road. The sidebar “Tip Book
on Overcoming Past Performance: Breaking Out” summarizes this chapter,
but it is presented here first and foremost as an inspiration for you to start
thinking about this difficult issue.

TIP BOOK ON OVERCOMING PAST PERFORMANCE:
BREAKING OUT

1. Find ways to experience situations that are truly novel to you. (How
are they challenging you?)
2. Give up all the luxury and rights of comfort for a week. Try out a
life without entitlements. (Live a week on a student budget.)
3. Go find the best team in the world in your area of specialization,
and work with this team for a while. (How do you feel?)
4. Start 10 small experiments and run them for one to three months to
attack an ill-defined or persisting problem. (What did you learn?)

(continued)