When we refer to the miraculous metamorphosis of the caterpillar into the butterfly, we often use the words “Chrysalis” and “Cocoon” interchangeably. However, they do not describe the same thing. In my book “Undisruptable”, I detail some of the similarities of the transformation of the caterpillar and the transformation of organisations and individuals alike. For this Thursday Thought, I’d like to zoom in on one specific element of this transformation: the difference between “Chrysalis” and “Cocoon”, an element I removed from the book in a bid to make it shorter.
While psychological safety is the foundation for a functional work environment, there is still an onus on us to have the courage to speak up. Leaders can encourage this behaviour by listening without judgement, allocating time to hear what their people have to say and having some mechanism in place to take action based on what people share. While the organisation and leadership have a major role to play in setting the stage, it ultimately comes down to us as individuals. Will we stand up and have courage? Will we speak up when it matters most?
when organisations outsource their future to consultants they are depriving themselves of their future. The start of any learning curve is steep and characterised by setbacks, obstacles and failures, but that is how we learn best. (That goes for children too.)
We are approaching such a paradigm shift in the workplace, but we still have a long way to go. Just as white actors playing the roles of black actors and men playing the roles of women seems preposterous today, I believe, in time, we will consider some of our modern-day work practices absurd. This Thursday Thought highlights the need to consider the female menstrual cycle in a paradigmatic shift in work practices.
The legend of Orpheus and Eurydice is a story of love, faith and transformation. It provides a wonderful analogy for letting go of the past and having faith in the future.
To transform we must let go of the way things used to be. Yes, we must respect the old order of things, but then let go.
Declarative learning happens through the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory. Declarative learning lends itself to explicit, conscious recollection. This type of learning involves a weak set of patterns, that is, I can explain it to you, but from a place of explicit understanding rather than implicit experience. I can explain the theory but not the experience.
Learning by experience is called procedural learning. In procedural learning, acquisition and memory are demonstrated through task performance. We experience by doing. This learning happens through the part of the brain called the basal ganglia, responsible for habit formation and repeat task formation. This type of learning involves a strong set of patterns, where, I can explain to you by drawing on implicit experiences. As I practice any skill, my learning patterns become increasingly ingrained, like the grooves in a vinyl record.
For innovation initiatives to succeed we must experiment and not just discuss.
Fear is a construct of the mind, fed by our experiences, upbringing, genes and more. Because fear is subjective, each of us experiences fear in different ways.
Just like the well-worn gate must be prepped for renewal, so must an organisation be prepped for any meaningful change.
Peter Drucker had it right when he said, “The new always looks so puny-so unpromising-next to the reality of the massive, ongoing business.”
Necromones are fatty acids in insects associated with decomposition and are a strong signal for members of the same species to stay away—possibly to protect others from catching a contagion. Like animals, humans have putrefaction volatiles that act as necromones. This ability to sense death, decomposition or disease is important, it serves the survival of a species. This Thursday Thought poses the question, can you sense when an organisation is dying?