Going Barefoot

Some years ago, I attended a seminar about, ‘right of arc’ thinking and the Iceberg principle of Systems thinking. The intent of the seminar was to reassure attendees that when it comes to decision making, it is better to seek apology than ask permission. It’s OK to fail if you fail, ‘quickly’ and that failure teaches how to then succeed.

Encouraging people to think in that way takes time. It’s scary for all involved. Leaders feel they might lose power by empowering subordinates. Subordinates fear the consequences of a ‘bad’ decision. Yet an organisation can become moribund if it doesn’t tackle that growing pain. I learnt in my career that no business is so big it cannot fail.

One of the team games we played at the seminar involved dry spaghetti, some sticky tape, some string and finally a marshmallow. Reading that back, it seems like some weird Blue Peter project or even something more risqué! It wasn’t. The aim was from those materials to build the tallest freestanding structure in 15 minutes. The marshmallow must sit on the top of the structure. My team was delighted to create something thirty-three centimetres high but beaten by another that managed thirty-six. So, what was the point you might ask? Well, it was for us to think laterally as to how best to construct something weight-bearing, with limited resources and time.

It meant trial and error, free-thinking, getting it wrong but then ultimately succeeding – OK we came second but at least what we built stayed upright.

This video offers a fascinating insight as to how others tackle this challenge.

https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower_build_a_team?language=en

You’ll see that those who are most successful are kindergarten children. They have no fear of failure and are happy to try several times.

As in business, as in life. We grow more experienced and through that more fearful. We try fewer new things and become comfortable in the norm. We need to take ‘right of arc’ thinking into all aspects of our lives. To fear, less and to dare to do more. I leave you with this by Nadine Stair.

“If I had my life to live over, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I’m one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies”

Here’s to going barefoot for longer …