So when is it healthy to have conformity?

And when is it unhealthy, even dangerous … to you as a employee, as a citizen, as a student, as a leader?

Why do we conform, even when we know that the rest are wrong?

And in the spiritual realm, we are warned,

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2, The New International Version)

What does this scripture mean?

But before answering these questions, first study this video of a famous experiment conducted by Solomon Asch in the 1950’s.

So, are you a conformer or a transformer?

And what can we do to help each other become more transformative?

• 1999.  A  young pair of Stanford students comes knocking on the door of Excite, a $35 billion dollar company at the time, offering to sell their newly developed search engine for $750,000 so that they could get back to studying.  The CEO declined the offer as being too expensive even though he had made previous acquisitions for $425 million and $780 million.  The two young men, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, went on to launch Google.
• 1992.  A young Bill Gates sits down with Ross Perot to offer a fledgling Microsoft for sale to Perot.  Perot’s recollection is that the asking price of $40-60 million was too much.  Gates recollection was that the offer was between $6 and 15 million.  The two men never negotiated a middle ground and Perot looks back on this as one of his biggest business mistakes ever.  I agree.

• 1962.  A group of mop haired musicians with the odd name, The Beatles, is told by Decca Studios that they “have no future in show business.”  Two years later The Beatles sell $50 million worth of records in the U.S. alone.

The older we get, I guess we like to think of the mistakes we’ve made as the wisdom we’ve gained.  And while we’d agree that these dumb decisions are indeed dumb in hindsight, if we were to be honest about it, we’ve probably made our share of such mistakes.  Mistakes are unavoidable in life, even whoppers.

So what can we do to, perhaps, minimize damage and when we make mistakes, to learn from them?

First, seek counsel and advice, both from God and from others  who will provide insight and perspective, even when it is contrary to your opinion.

Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.
— Psalm 119:24

Prepare plans by consultation,
And make war by wise guidance.
— Proverbs 20:18, New American Standard Bible

Second, humbly learn from your mistakes whether pointed out by others or just life slapping you up along side the head.  In all of life seek to grow in understanding and wisdom.

But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge.
— Proverbs 19:25b, The New American Standard Bible

I know.  It’s basic stuff that you and I already know.  So why do we still keep plunging ahead without heeding this counsel?

Once in I asked the man what his business was and what company he worked for. He responded with pride that he was a consultant and worked for (name), a top five US firm. I then asked if his firm had defined a set of values for the organization. “Oh yes”, he said, “we have five values!”

I pressed, “do any of the values suggest that people matter?” I did notice at this point that the four clients had these strange smiles on their faces; they could smell the kill that was about to happen.

“Yes, indeed”, the man said, “in fact, our top value is people matter.”

I questioned, “do all people matter?” “Yes”, he retorted. “Everyone!” I asked, “even limo dispatchers?”

The man turned red and responded, “not limo dispatchers!” The rest of the drive to O Hare was pretty quiet. Yet I know that my clients and I were fortunate to get a real life lesson on the priority of actually putting real legs on our values.

Jim Collins, author of “Built to Last”, states that true values are

“the organization’s essential and enduring tenets–a small set of timeless guiding principles that require no exernal justification; they have intrinsic value and importance to those inside the organization.”

Ralph Larson, CEO of Johnson and Johnson, states

“the core values embodied in our Credo might become a competive advantage, but that is not why we have them. We have them because they define for us what we stand for, and we would hold them even if they became a competitive disadvantage in certain situations.”

Questions:

• What are your company’s values?
• When was the last time a significant decision was made based on a value?
• When was the last time senior leadership stepped up to an employee to challenge a value violation?
• Are the values embedded in the culture, the real practice of your company?
• Do you have any team members harrassing limo dispatchers at hotel curbsides or trashing a cherished value in the presence of key stakeholders?
• Finally, and most important, how well are you living out and embodying your core values?

Chip Toth is an experienced leader in both corporate and not for profit organizations. He has coached numerous C level executive leaders to develop personal leadership and build leadership depth within their companies. He provides keynote speeches, leadership training, assessments on leadership.  Learn more at LeadersInspire.

Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Rework , (p. 44), Crown Publishing Group, 2010
When you don’t know what you believe, everything becomes an argument. Everything is debatable. But when you stand for something, decisions are obvious.
For example, Whole Foods stands for selling the highest quality natural and organic products available. They don’t waste time deciding over and over again what’s appropriate. No one asks, “Should we sell this product that has artificial flavors?” There’s no debate. The answer is clear. That’s why you can’t buy a Coke or a Snickers there.

Joshua 1:7
The New International Version
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

A few weeks ago I was asked by the President of my company to go and fix an area of the business that wasn’t doing so well. I’m talking here the organizational equivalent of two-headed beast with six horns.

There were so many moving parts and levels of complexity involved with this situation that there was not one person over the past 15 years who had been able to get their arms around it.

Yet however dysfunctional it was, we still managed to get by. So we mostly left it alone all this time, other than assigning a new leader every few years.

But we could ignore it no longer.

“Sure! I’d love to!” is what I recall saying to the President as he hurled me towards the fiery pit.

ACKK!

Needless to say, it’s been a challenge. In fact, for these past couple of weeks I have been nothing short of completely overwhelmed. You know the feeling – numbness, panic-stricken, insomnia, anxiety, and then a strange tingling feeling going down the side of your arm.

Not the best example of a spiritually grounded executive.

I barely knew where to begin or end. I would find myself at the end of the day walking in tiny circles around my office, or just staring blankly out the window in a catatonic state – paralyzed by the daunting prospects before me.

Luckily, I have been in this tricky spot before and have a handy reportoire of practical resources to draw from to get me through. And, no, I am not talking about those little pills in your medicine cabinet.

Tips for keeping your head above water

If you are at all challenging and stretching yourself, you will inevitably run into situations where you feel completely over your head. It’s the most natural thing in the world. But rather than beating yourself up for being such an idiot for not knowing how to handle it better, here are some useful steps to take when you feel snowed under at work.

1. Chunk it into pieces.

You’ve probably heard that old joke from your grandpap:

Q: How to you eat an elephant?

A: One bite at a time.

Ha ha, I know – not very funny/ But there is some wisdom in there. Take that massive project and break it into small, bite-size pieces so that you can focus on one thing at a time. This will help you avoid the oppressive shadow of the great beast, and actually give your mind a more manageable starting point to begin chipping away at.

2. Make just one decision

Part of the problem of being overwhelmed by large projects is that your mind starts going to mush. Our brain naturally wants to find recognizable patterns and familiar connections, but if we can’t make sense out of the mess that is before us, our little mind goes straight into meltdown mode.

Instead of drooling, try and block out all of the miscellaneous noise and focus on just one issue that needs to be resolved. See if you can bring that one element to a point of decision, and you will begin to feel some momentum. The very act of deciding can be empowering and will start to clean up the clutter in your mind, clearing the way for that next decision. And the next.

3. Find one point of clarity

Is there just one aspect of the project that you intuitively feel a conviction about for direction? If you can latch on to just one thing that you believe is a step in the right direction, it will likely lead you to another intuitive connection that becomes the next point of clarity. Don’t worry – You don’t have to have all the answers immediately. Usually they unravel over time, and finding those small points of clarity along the way will eventually propel you towards the finish line.

4. Talk to someone else

Before checking into the asylum, find someone else who is involved in the project that you can talk to. Rather than drag them down the slippery slope, bring one specific item for discussion, to air out your thoughts and confusion, just to sound off for a while. Even if you find yourself babbling like a madman, the very act of interacting and talking it out with an objective party can bring some insights through the conversation. Your subconscious mind is constantly working on the problem, but doesn’t necessarily fill you in all the time. Often times the talking it out begins to reveal the patterns and connections that are right in front of you. This is why therapists are in such great demand these days.

5. Stop obsessing about the outcome

Woody Allen once said that 80% of success is “just showing up.” I have found that to be true. We tend to get obsessed over the deadline, the end result, or the outcome we are striving for. The stress and worry over achieving the end result can actually hinder our creative thinking, as opposed to just showing up every day, focusing on what’s in front of you and moving the ball a little bit further – even if it’s just another yard. Concentrate on the little things: waking up, eating breakfast, driving to work, and – oh, look! Here’s your project! Hello, project!

Remind yourself that at least you’re not going backwards. Sooner or later, everything will click.

6. Go do something else for a while

When all else fails, and you feel yourself becoming literally paralyzed by the looming situation, go do something else for a while. Preferrably something you enjoy, or that you know you can accomplish. A crossword puzzle, perhaps, or a little walk along the riverbank. Sometimes I’ll just pack it in and go run on the treadmill for a while with my ipod headphones at full volume.  Taking your mind off of the situation may have the paradoxical effect of allowing you to solve problems better, because when you are relaxed your creative mind is much better tuned to solutions.

7. Pray

When all else fails….

All right, so maybe this should have come first. But don’t ever forget that God cares about you, your job and this project. He loves you! And your soul is so much more important than that stupid project! God can help you get through it, just like he has done for you every other time. Do you believe that? If so, stop the madness for a few minutes and take it up with the Task Master himself.

Surrender.

Breathe.

Rest.

Do your best each day, and trust God for the outcome.

I’ll see you on the other side.

Bradley J. Moore is an executive in a large corporation in the Northeast which shall remain nameless. He posts regularly at shrinkingthecamel.com and every Tuesday at the High Callings Blogs. Brad’s writing has also been featured in The Conference Board Review magazine and The Chicago Sun Times.

Michael J. Panzer
When Giants Fall – An Economic Roadmap for the End of the American Era , ( xxii ), John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009
Mounting logistical disruptions, tighter borders, heightened geopolitical instability, rising costs of key inputs like water and energy, and an assortment of dislocations will shoot holes in many of the old theories about how to improve efficiency and boost growth. For most firms, approaches that might once have increased the odds of success, including just-in-time inventory management, the development of long and intricate supply chains, and outsourcing of functions to other locales, will lead to their undoing. What is more, instead of focusing on aggressively pruning back operations to reduce costs, owners and managers will be forced to strike a tenuous balance between what they might be able to do without and what they must have on hand to remain in business when disaster strikes.

Revelation 18:11-19
The New International Version
¹¹“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more— ¹²cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.

¹⁴“They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ ¹⁵The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn ¹⁶and cry out:
” ‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
¹⁷In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. ¹⁸When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ ¹⁹They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
” ‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!

J. Oswald Sanders
Paul The Leader, (p. 46), Navpress, 1984
Procrastination and vacillation are fatal to leadership. A sincere though mistaken decision is better than no decision. Indeed, no decision is a decision – a decision that the present situation is acceptable. In most decisions the difficulty is not in knowing what we ought to do, but in summoning the moral purpose to come to a decision about it. This resolution process was no problem to Paul.

Acts 22:6-11
The New International Version
“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.
‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.”