Recently I wrote the article 5 Things The Very Best Continually Do To Remain The Very Best At What They Do. This post builds on those concepts. The following are 5 Questions Leaders Should Be Asking Coming Out Of Thanksgiving:
The Coke Can Principle
Scott is a good friend of mine. He is a kind, polished, highly successful, and works with some of the most successful leaders in the Atlanta area. Scott is quite generous and always looking to serve others. This is week he shared with myself and others one of his favorite interview questions. He asks prospective candidates, “You see a Coke can lying on the ground, what do you do?” There are three answers from his perspective. The third is actually a trick question.
The answers are:
- “I pick it up.” – This speaks to a person’s proactivity, care, responsibility, and ownership
- “I ignore it.” – This includes just passing by, not picking it up, leaving it for someone else to deal with, or kicking it down or to the side of the road. Each of these are signs of neglect and a predictor of performance.
- “I didn’t see it.” – This is the trick portion. This candidate could lack self-awareness and could be oblivious to concerns of their teammates, customers, and the organization.
What specific question do you ask prospective employees to determine their level of ownership and responsibility?
The Zebra Effect
Sahil Bloom teaches in this article a concept known as The Zebra Effect. This idea came from a group of researchers studying zebras in the wild. While studying a specific zebra, the researchers discovered when they looked down to write their notes, they were unable to relocate the striped animal when they looked back up. The stripes served as a defense mechanism allowing the zebras avoid detection and seamlessly blend into the pack.
To solve this issue, the researchers placed a red dot on the zebra they were studying. While it made it easier for scientists to relocate the animal, there was a surprising side-effect. It also made it easier for the lions hunting them. Each targeted zebra was subsequently killed within days.
The Zebra Effect is a survival mechanism. Standing out amongst the safety of the crowd can be dangerous. Blending in is comfortable and easy. But while conformity is great for animals in the wild, it rarely results in anything extraordinary for humans.
As a leader, what are you doing to combat The Zebra Effect and stand out from the crowd?
Normative Failure
Failure builds resilience. It also results in humility, perseverance, and creativity because you need to find out ways to succeed. As a result, if leaders properly celebrate and leverage failure, they build these qualities in their children, team, and organization.
Smart leaders should make failure normative in those they lead. Encourage it. Celebrate it. Reward it.
What have you failed at recently? What has those you lead failed at recently? Did you celebrate and leverage that failure properly? If not, will you do so in the future?
Second Order Thinking
Geniuses think at deeper levels than others. Average people accept things the way they are or simply go about their business when events happen in their lives. Not geniuses.
When it comes to decision-making, geniuses will first employ Second Order Thinking which asks the question, “Now what?”
For instance, you want to buy a new car and finance it for five years, geniuses will project into the future and first ask, “I have the car. Now what?” You want to give your spouse a piece of your mind, “I got that off of my chest. Now what?” You want to take advantage of an investment opportunity, “I invested the money. Now what?” You want to play video games rather than studying for your upcoming test, a genius will first ask, “That was a fun few hours. Now what?”
Leaders, you likely have a big decision coming up this week, probably Monday. Regardless of what you decide, will you ask “Now what” before doing so?
How To Have Team Success
Thanksgiving is a time for family, unbelievable food, traditions, and making memories. This past Thanksgiving was quite memorable for Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland. As you will see by clicking the image below, he set a NFL record with his fifth interception returned for a touchdown in a single season.
Bland is not the only Cowboys defender playing at an elite level. In fact, since Dan Quinn’s arrival as defensive coordinator in 2021, the team has a league-leading 84 takeaways.
CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson reported during the broadcast that she asked Coach Quinn the formula for his success. She said, “When he first got here (he said) I placed a premium on finding guys who had college production in getting the ball. He felt if they did it in college, they would have it in them in the pros. And then, he worked in practice throughout the week. They use four JUGS machines. They talk about it. Who’s vulnerable. They meet on tackling. They meet on takeaways. It is their oxygen. It is life for them, they breath it. It’s why they’ve had such success.”
We learn from Coach Quinn, five things you need for team success:
- Find the right talent, those who has a proven track record of performance.
- Practice what you want to accomplish.
- Continually talk about how to achieve success.
- Look for competitive advantages.
- Engage in successful behaviors.
Leaders, are you staffing, practicing, discussing, probing, and engaging in successful behaviors?
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