Separating wheat from chaff: Engaging the fit for purpose consultancy firm

separating wheat from chaff by Roxanna Samii on Exposure

Battle of giants: Tagline vs #hashtag - and the winner is .......

Battle of giants by Roxanna Samii on Exposure

Climate panic button is activated. Do you hear the sirens?

the panic button is activated by Roxanna Samii on Exposure

Who’s who on a typical day in the work place…..

10 am, team invited to a brainstorming meeting. 

Challenge statement put on the table. Team brainstorms.

Here is what happens next:

The “I know it all” person kicks off the conversation by eloquently sharing old wine in new bottle “ideas”. Everyone around the table listens politely without hearing what is being said.

The problem solver paves a pragmatic way forward, whilst the cautious person diligently puts on the table all the rules and regulations oblivious to the reality and the constraints.

The visionary speaks last and shares disruptive, ambitious and out-of-the-box ideas.

The room goes silent, as the team is processing what they just heard.

The “I know it all” person, continues to pitch the old wine in new bottle ideas. The problem solver can see the contours of the visionary’s proposition and outlines how the vision can be implemented. The cautious person goes back to the comfort of the rule book. The visionary keeps quiet.

After the meeting - the “I know it all” inundates everyone with emails reiterating the old wine in new bottle ideas.

The cautious person puts in writing all the things that cannot be done without offering solutions and a way forward, taking comfort in the rules - citing them by name and respective paragraph numbers.

The problem solver person figures out ways to pragmatically implement the vision.

The visionary keeps quiet giving the team time to internalize.

How familiar is the above scenario?

And how many of these stereotyped folks do you know?

I would bet, this is pretty familiar and you probably have come across these folks.

Here is what I’ve learnt from similar situations. 

As I matured, I learnt to listen very carefully to the visionaries around me. I learnt not to pass judgement. I learnt to internalize and try to visualize their vision. I learnt to give the benefit of the doubt. I learnt to try and bring their vision to life. I learnt that even if I did not see their vision at the very moment, if I applied myself, I would be able to see it - may be not immediately, but eventually I would. I learnt to trust these folks and their disruptive, out-of-the-box ideas. I learnt to go with their flow.

And this has had a win-win end result. Even when the idea did not work, it was a win-win, because it brought the team together and resulted in an excellent team building exercise where everyone learnt how to work and trust each other. When it worked - which is 9 times out of 10 - it end up being like watching fireworks on 4 July!!!! 

As I’ve matured, I’ve learnt to see the strength in diversity. As Michelle Obama once said, “Sameness brings more sameness”. We need diversity. This is not just in terms of sex, religion, sexual orientation and race - it is also in terms of personal characteristics and what people bring to the table.

I know, you are probably thinking that there are folks who bring little or nothing to the table. I am not sure this is an accurate statement. If you create a safe space and give folks a bit of gentle nudge, they may surprise you.

What I’ve learnt is that make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to share their idea. It goes without saying that we should not let any one person to dominate the conversation. So, to the “I know it all” person - next time you have the urge of being the first one to talk, pause…… Count until 20 - you’ll be surprised, as someone  other than you will take the floor and you get to first listen before sharing your ideas.

Also, remember, if at that very moment you do not have anything valuable to offer (and this can happen), there is nothing wrong to say “I need more time to think about it. Let me do so and get back to you.” And if you do so, pls take it literally and really think about it.

I’ve come across many cautious folks and trust me, their counsel and guidance is definitely valuable. They become truly an asset when they offer solutions and guidance to work our way through the red tape. They may end up being frustrating when they take comfort in the rule book and do not make a genuine effort to understand what is at stake.

The pragmatic nature of the problem solver makes them the natural fit for taking the situation at hand and making sure things work like a Swiss clockwork. This is why, willingly or not, they assume the control. And quite often this can work against them, as others may see them as ambitious or as the one who wants to impress and show off.

So, to these folks, make sure you involve everyone on team so that the “control” is shared. This way, you can give your best - continue to be pragmatic - get the work done without making enemies and have fun.

So, dear reader, if you have encountered similar situations, please share your experience. If you think the above scenario is a heresy, please share why you think so. At the end of the day we all strive to create a harmonious and non-complacent workplace. So, if there are behaviors that we can change to achieve this goal, why not do so.

Looking forward to your ideas, examples and more.

My take on the captivating “How Democracies Die”

Just finished reading the captivating How democracies die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.

The authors, Professors of Government at Harvard University, through an engaging and informative narrative demonstrate how extreme polarization kills democracy.

As I was reading the book, I realized the wisdom in the statement: “the most effective coalitions are those that bring together groups with dissimilar - even opposing - views on many issues. They are built not among friends but among adversaries. History shows that it is possible to reconcile democracy with diversity.”

The authors put forward a fascinating four behavioral warning signs to spot an authoritarian leader.  They suggest if a leader shows one or more of these traits, he/she is a demagogue and an authoritarian:

• “rejects, in words or action, the democratic rule of game
• denies the legitimacy of opponents
• tolerates or encourages violence
• indicates a willingness to curtain the civil liberties of opponents, include the media”

Dare I say that the above four characteristics not only apply to a political leader (head of state/government, minister, party leader, politician, etc.) but also to anyone who is and/or claims to be a leader (CEO, commander, manager, boss, superior, etc.)

The authors make the case that “democracy is a shared enterprise and its fate depends on all us”. As such, they say PEOPLE and PEOPLE’s WILL are more powerful that the Constitution.

Rightfully so, they say “people are the first source of power, and the people can abolish a Constitution if they want to.”

Throughout history, people have been instrumental to topple governments and democracies. They’ve done so through peaceful marches, or violent revolutions. They’ve done so because they were fighting for a cause or because of resentment.

I am not going to pass any judgement on whether these causes  and/or resentments are right or wrong. What I have realized is that democracy is super fragile. And to make sure democracy stands the test of demagogues and authoritarian rulers, we need to invest in people and in education. 

I would like to believe that if people have a good sense of history, if people can tell apart propaganda from facts, if people are able to recognize the characteristics of authoritarian leaders, if people see the early warning signs of democratic norms being eroded, if people can see through the pseudo “economic crises, natural disasters, and especially security threats - wars, armed insurgencies, or terrorist attacks” which de facto allow autocrats to exercise authoritarian  measures and “do whatever they like”, then we would be able to safeguard our biggest gift - democracy.

Sadly, our societies have become so polarized, and this has led to eroding democratic norms, which means democracy can longer be taken for granted.

What we are left with, is to invest in people. Invest in raising awareness and building people’s understanding about the sacrosanct democratic norms and values. Invest in teaching people about the infinite benefits of living a democratic societies and cherishing diversity.