I had once a friend who was very social and she has been invited to all parties and events by others. Obviously, others were extremely excited to be invited by her, too. One day she was planning a get-together and she was inviting many friends – that made somehow sense. But then she has also invited a person of which I knew that she didn’t like him at all. Yet, she considered this person relevant for her career. When I’ve heard her saying: Oh, dear. It would be so cool if you can also join this
weekend!, I was quite surprised. I have then asked her: Why have you just invite this person. I know you don’t like him. She replied: Well, I don’t. But I know that he cannot make it this weekend. So, it’s a save invite. He thinks, I am nice and I don’t have to bother with him because I know he will not show up.
If this invite were a hammer, and my friend’s party were a nail, well, then we have an example of ‘designed by nail’. You design a hammer that will always miss the nail, the party in our case.
I have seen many of those designed-by-nail hammers. Visions, projects or strategies that were not designed to hit the ground, to be implemented, etc. but to be announced, celebrated and to fill countless slides and townhalls. And only the experienced ones would notice that it will never fly. That there is no commitment. That there is no thinking let alone doing beyond the kick-off party or a project with an external consultants. It was designed to be ineffective, irrelevant and not harmful to the business as usual. And we sometimes were wondering why all the nails are cheering and clapping hands while the hammer is shouting from the stage. Only later, we have realized that they have actually made the hammer. They made it the way that no hitting is possible with this guy.
Politicians do it. Business people do it. Well, we do it privately, too.
And so it goes…
My key takeaways:
1. Pay attention to the designer.
2. Observe the nails' reaction when hammer is presented..
3. Have a closer look at the hammer.
How to lead now…
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