It’s no secret that In today’s ever-changing competitive marketplace, one of the biggest enemies all of is face is the “status quo.” In order for our organizations to survive and prosper – and for us to have successful leadership careers – we have to get good at encouraging and cultivating new and different ideas.
“Business as usual” is a mindset that will NOT serve any of us well. That’s a factual statement you’d be wise to write down and post in your work area. And it’s the message behind one of the most clever and thought- provoking books I’ve ever read, A Peacock in the Land of Penguins.
This is the story of Perry the Peacock – a bright, talented, colorful bird – who comes to live in the Land of Penguins. He soon runs into problems because the penguins have established a chilly organizational climate that is formal, bureaucratic, and governed by a vast array of written and unwritten rules. Although his talent is recognized, his different and unusual style makes the penguins feel uneasy. The very thing he was recruited for – his distinctive flair and creativity – is viewed as a “problem” by the penguins once Perry is inside the organization.
... While executives and managers today say that they want new ideas and new thinking from their employees, their actions often indicate otherwise. New ideas are disruptive, they’re messy, they require taking chances and increased risk, and they push everyone out of their comfort zones. So people who are different, people with new views on how to make the organization successful, are often discouraged from expressing them – much to the detriment of both the individual and the organization.
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