Stop Acting Like a Blunt Skull
Everything that feels right isn’t. Blunt skull behaviors are done sincerely.
A wrong belief:
Effort isn’t magic.
The only time working harder turns failure into success is when you’re negligent.
How long have the same issues given you fits? Don’t be a blunt skull. Embrace the message of recurring frustration.
Pattern recognition:
If it’s not working, stop doing it. Make a list of everything you’re doing to succeed. Determine what isn’t working. You know something isn’t working when the same problem persists. Seek advice. Throw out the bad. Keep the good. Try something else. Start again.
Pedaling faster doesn’t help when the chain is broken.
Blunt skull behaviors:
- Neglecting high performers while helping poor performers.
- Focusing on problems and neglecting successes.
- Long boring meetings with the same people.
- Having the same conversation over and over.
- Fixing instead of innovating.
What are some blunt skull leadership behaviors?
Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. To use the example here, if the chain is broken stop pedaling.
As leaders, it is OK to take a break to clear your head. I learned this after I spent 3 hours working out a single formula in a spreadsheet. I was very frustrated and stood up and walked out… and refused to think about it any longer. Literally within 10 minutes on a walk the answer just popped into my head. I learned a valuable lesson that day.
Powerful illustration, Ryan. We need to stop thinking in order to find the answer. Yes, we need to grapple with an issue. But there comes a time when we need to let it go. It’s like stepping into the shower confused and stepping out with enough clarity to move forward.