Less is More, Even with Desserts

As a rule, whether it's strategy, the length of a speech or a term in office, less is usually more.

Less can create speed, simplicity, focus and other desirable results.

Now there are always exceptions to rules, which leads me to another of my favorite rules - we need success, not perfection.

Adhering to your own rules 80% of the time usually produces the results you desire. An example would be your eating routine.Changing your eating routine in a few places (less is more) will generate a desirable result if you stick to it most of the time and is more realistic than wholesale change (perfection).

Since you now have permission to be less than perfect, have that ice cream cone that's as big as your head....    

JOT - Just One at a Time

I'm developing content around increasing collaborative capability in organizations and I've observed something.

We resist change because it involves additional work and there's a risk of failing because of a lack of follow-through on implementation - which is where "flavor of the month" and the like come from.

Do we resist change because we attempt too much at one time? For example, what if when we increase the collaborative capability of an organization, we focused on one intersection at a time in our organization to increase collaboration through the application of new collaborative skills and behaviors? Would JOT increase our odds of following-through on implementation?

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic

I'm focused on communicating the idea of "we may think we behave a certain way ALL the time, but it's probably not so." For example, if we are asked  if we're collaborative ALL the time, most of us would answer "of course. That's just the way we are."


Well, sure, when things are going well.... What about under stress, experiencing a feeling of fear or staring at danger?

To most of us, collaboration is extrinsic. Something that is extrinsic is not essential or inherent to our behavior. To put it another way, it's not a basic part or quality of ours; it's extraneous. 

A few of us are intrinsically collaborative. Collaboration is part of their person by its very nature. It is part of a their interior being. 

For example, they are collaborative when only one person can be chosen for a promotion and it's not them. They're collaborative when they've already put in 60 hours and they've been asked to work the weekend to meet a deadline. Lastly, they're collaborative even when gossip about them makes it's way to their ears.

The way to convert a quality from extrinsic to intrinsic is to practice it until it becomes second nature like breathing. Only then will the quality be part of us, regardless of the conditions.