The Frosted Flakes Fiasco
Last Friday, my wife went out with a friend and I had a man-dinner. Sometimes, I grill a steak. No vegetables. Just beef and a beverage.
But this time I chose my second option.
Frosted Flakes:
I dropped bread in the toaster. The sugary goodness of Frosted Flakes called me. There’s nothing like buttered toast and Frosted Flakes. They’re Great!
Strangely, the sugary goodness lacked its usual punch. (I had dismissed a previous observation that some flakes didn’t glisten as much as usual.)
Maybe allergies were disrupting my taste buds? Just at the point where the milk usually reaches the perfect ratio of sweetness, I noticed limp flakes in my bowl.
The sugary coating on Frosted Flakes keeps them crunchy till the last bite. But these flakes were soggy and the bottom of the bowl wasn’t in sight. That’s when the bitter truth hit me.
There were corn flakes in my frosted flakes! How could this happen? That’s when the second bitter truth exploded in my brain. Someone had mixed corn flakes in the Frosted Flakes.
The only other person in our home is the wife God gave me. How could she?
I confronted my wife when she came home.
“Yes,” she said.
“How could you?”
“I needed space in the cupboard and there weren’t that many corn flakes left,” she said.
“It seemed like there were lots of corn flakes to me!” I complained.
“Well I shook them up,” was her sincere justification.
Leadership lessons:
#1. When things don’t look right, investigate. Don’t allow excitement for results to blur your judgement.
#2. Protect high performers from dead beats or everything gets soggy.
#3. Expectation assesses results. When you expect one thing and get another, it’s dissatisfying.
#4. Expect disappointment when values collide. She values cupboard space and I value pure frosted flakes.
What leadership lessons do you see in the Frosted Flakes Fiasco?
Dan: Local guy (down here near Lycoming Mall) just joined your blog…Dan Egli, Ph.D.Blessings!
Welcome Dan. Always a pleasure having folks join. I look forward to learning from you.
Get the small boxes of cereal (1 serving) so the problem is eliminated.
Leadership lesson—innovation occurs when two different ideas are mixed together. This experiment didn’t work out well but other experiments will be hugely successful.
Can I mix my cinnamon raisin bagel with my Boston Creme donut?
Thanks Paul. I’m so glad you’re taking this seriously! 🙂
Great lesson on innovation. And the innovators response to mixing bagels and donuts is go ahead. My response is #Forget-about-it.
Actually the experiment worked out quite well for his wife. She got the cabinet space she needed and she got him to eat the last of the cornflakes. Depends on your perspective for success. 🙂
Maybe my favorite post ever! Grrrreat stuff, Dan!
Thanks Michael. So glad you enjoyed. Cheers
#1. When things don’t look right, investigate. Don’t allow excitement for results to blur your judgement.
I mix cereals when 1 box runs out and the other beside it’s not the same, I figure I just need to fuel the engine, not the taste buds. It works!
On a serious note your #1 hit home with me today!
Thank you for opening my eyes!
Thanks Tim. I must confess that I have mixed cheerios with grape nuts flakes. But I do it for the taste. Some live to eat and others eat to live. 🙂
I was pretty excited because I don’t eat Frosted Flakes very often. We laughed all weekend over this fiasco. 🙂
🙂
Great post, Dan! This line “Don’t allow excitement for results to blur your judgement” hit especially close to home 😬.
Thanks Michael. If you noticed Tim’s comment above, you aren’t the only one. It speaks to me as well. Cheers
Sometimes it takes a growth experience like this to realize just how good the top performers are and appreciate their value…. They may need their own special place so they know just how valued and appreciated they are.
Thanks Pat. Now I’m trying figure out if the Frosted Flakes are the top performer or maybe it’s my wife…or perhaps it’s me! 🙂
Great story this morning, Dan! It reminds me biting into a cookie and expecting chocolate chips and instead you get raisins….. just not right! What hit home to me was your tip on protecting high performers from dead beats and I could not agree more. I recently switched jobs and have a team of high performers – except for one or two and I need to resolve their performance before too long.
Thanks Lisa. Wow! I know what you mean. What’s worse than mixing healthy with utterly indulgent!!!
There’s some startling research on the negative influence of one deadbeat on team. “[Will] Felps estimates that teams with just one deadbeat, downer, or asshole suffer a performance disadvantage of 30 to 40 percent compared to teams that have no bad apples.” (Bob Sutton in Good Boss Bad Boss.)
As Susan Scott states, “The conversation is the relationship.” Appreciate the differences but discuss the values knowing that the overall purpose and direction is the same. I’m a fan of a Peach Mango Ice drink after working out in the sun. For the 3rd time my lovely bride bought an Orange Ice drink and commented that they’re the same color. One is something I look forward too and one is something I endure through until I get the desired flavor. I’ve decided to change the process and not alert to the need for something interpreted differently and I’ll incognito Kroger for Peach Mango :-). In the Lean world I have to simply call this a scientific approach of PDSA or Plan-Do-Study-Adjust. I’m in the adjust phase. Great post and reflection!!! I love it!!
Thanks Rick. I had to read your comment to my wife.
Just because it’s orange doesn’t mean it works!! 🙂 Cheers
I see the importance of gathering input when making decisions. If you had been consulted, you might have agreed that cupboard space was the most critical need and accepted the soggy cereal or poured a smaller bowl, or you might have offered an alternative solution, like putting the bag and all in the cereal box, no mixing required. How many times do we make executive decisions without considering how it will impact the whole? This is especially poignant when the person making the decision is not the one impacted by it.
Brilliant, Carrie.
The fun of this post is combining the frivolous with the serious. You nailed it.
Simple yet great post. Thank you sir.
Thanks Jerry.
Thank you for the wonderful e-mails and postings like this on Leadership. I am (hopefully) just starting into the world of management and thoroughly enjoy your posts. Many thanks.
Thanks Severn. I wish you well on the journey!! Subscribing to Leadership Freak can’t hurt. 🙂
#2. Protect high performers from dead beats or everything gets soggy. I like this one, dead beats bring down the team, the attitude, the overall ambiance and success.
Great God, Tony! Who ripped my flask-oh?!!!
It’s not often you mis-ask a “how” question and get a genuine “why” response … It’s usually the other way around. Your wife is a treasure, golden.
We could intervene and say it’s all for the best … the flakes are the same, sugar is evil, leads to cancer or diabetes, and you shouldn’t be making a mounting federal case out of a personal molehill, etc. … but we needn’t, do we?
Fiasco is the perfect word choice. Yours or hers? 🤣
Thanks Rurbane!! One thing is certain. My wife is a treasure!! We’ve had too much fun over this experience.
Thanks Roger. I’m pasting the comment I left above. It’s a kick in the pants.
There’s some startling research on the negative influence of one deadbeat on team. “[Will] Felps estimates that teams with just one deadbeat, downer, or asshole suffer a performance disadvantage of 30 to 40 percent compared to teams that have no bad apples.” (Bob Sutton in Good Boss Bad Boss.)
Dan,
At first glance I was reminded of the old psychology test where they give you a grape sucker that is red in color….or whatever it was; it’s been 35+ years since that class. The point is the mind wants, what the mind wants.
Shortly thereafter my mind drifter to other places. My maternal Grandfather (Grandad as we called him) ate the same thing every day, out of the same bowl, with the same spoon. 1/2 Special K 1/2 Bran Buds, with Evaporated Milk. Sounds gross, but his uber-consistent diet likely played a key role in his uber-consistent BMI .
Then, I shifted to earlier in my career when I worked long hours and found myself eating meals long after the family was in bed. Dead tired and only looking for a quick fill, I would often just eat it cold. Strangely enough what I discovered, was that there are some foods that not only taste radically different cold, but I actually like better that way.
Thanks the quick trip down memory lane, though you certainly had no idea you were taking me there!
Thanks Tom. I’m so glad you took the time to leave a comment today. I just read this too my wife. We’re getting ready for lunch. Ham and Swiss with lettuce and tomato. 🙂
Cheers
This post made my day! Thanks Dan.
I can relate to your wife’s need for cupboard space…I thought maybe she was trying to get you to eat healthier by tricking you and mixing in the Corn flakes. 🙂
Thanks Jennifer. I asked her if her motivation was my health or her cupboard space. She said it was the latter. 🙂
Two things pop up in my mid, Dan!
1. Complacency – Complacency sets in when doing the same things over and over again. Leaders want to keep things fresh to keep the team moving at the same pace and vigor. At the airport I work, it is imperative to keep complacency away since mundane repetitive tasks can lower the safety level necessary for safe airport operations. Not all safety inspections turn out the same way (just like your ‘frosted flakes’ turned out to be ‘corn flakes’.
2. Communication – Communication is very vital for teams to progress together effectively and efficiently. Your wife should have communicated the ‘mix-up’ to you, so you could have opted for a possible 3rd meal option. Communication also builds trust between a Leader and his/her team and vice versa. I bet, the next time you pick up a ‘frosted flakes’ box, you will check before you pour. 🙂
I’m sure, we can distill a lot more nuggets here. Thanks for the article!
Thanks Enoch. Nothing like change to awaken the senses. You better believe that I’ll be double checking the Frosted Flakes next time. 🙂
Another application might be the importance of playful mischief. You have to do fun things if you want to have fun at work. Cheers
Absolutely agree! Thanks for the fun, yet insightful post, Dan!
Mixing plain corn flakes with frosted flakes is cold. 🙂
Some great comments here Dan.
I’m not concerned about the mixing up because…
Frosted flakes!!
Seriously!
Please don’t ever start a health blog 🙂
I’m still laughing though!
LOL!! Thanks Richard! I know… It’s sad.
“Protect high performers from dead beats or everything gets soggy.”
LOL, Love it!
Interesting… I saw this more as your Wife took a risk that you wouldn’t care and she got shelf space. You did the classical move and attacked the person that took a risk and failed. Seems like there is a lot more to learn that everyone seems to have picked up on.
Good post, Dan.
Takeaways for me: 1) things may seem normal but challenges are always around the corner. Keep focused on your vision (of good cereal) to be prepared for those challenges.
2) brief communication early (cupboard cleaning stage) can help avoid time consuming conversation later (when the milk has been poured) and help both parties understand the other
3) watch for those flakes who misrepresent your values and ideals as they will cause you misery in the long run.
Sir I enjoy your posts and admit you have a succinct way of putting the message together. In the training world I would combine #1 and #3. When things go wrong and you investigate to find your expectations were not met, look first to ourselves as leaders and trainers to see how well we did our jobs, before blaming others for not doing theirs. Thanks. Keep up the good work. John