How To Lead A Quest

Summary

Part I

• Our default is the option we select automatically in the absence of viable alternatives. Defaults are informed by our ability to recognise and match patterns. Established systems and templates leverage efficiencies identified within complex patterns. Default thinking is, therefore, fast — but not necessarily accurate or conducive to new progress. Our default thinking harbours preferences, assumptions and biases — many of which we are blind to. It is further influenced by the status quo, conventional norms and past precedents.
• A sense of progress has been identified as one of the most powerful motivators at work. The more people perceive that their effort is contributing to progress, the more likely they are to continue to invest effort into that activity. This principle is an important calibration for organisational leaders — it is much less about distant goals and targets, and much more about recognising and celebrating small wins along the way. A deliberate approach utilising the progress principle can make work more inherently motivating.
• Unfortunately, when left unchecked, it is easy to become deluded by progress. This is where efficiency and productivity are valued more than effectiveness and progress. When organisations are cursed with efficiency, it becomes much easier to tackle the ‘busywork' — emails, meetings and other visible routine or operational tasks that provide a rich and immediate sense of progress. To escape the Delusions of Progress, you need ...