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“The only source of knowledge is experience.”
-Albert Einstein
Back by popular demand, here’s our favorite list of things that almost never work. For good measure, we added five more things that never work at the bottom of the list (click the links to expand on those topics).
This list certainly isn’t all-inclusive – you probably have a few of your own things to add, too.
- The counteroffer
- Teams where everyone agrees
- Having no social media policy
- Fixing problems with the same level of thinking that created them
- Policies etched in stone
- Waiting
- Rear-wheel drive cars and Cleveland winters
- The employee of the month parking space
- Paying someone more because they are unhappy
- Paying everyone equally
- Paternalism
- Promoting someone whose values don’t align with the organization
- Neglecting to teach employees the details of our business
- Deciding to contribute to your 401(k) later
- Blind dates arranged by your parents
- Ignoring conflict
- Hope-based strategies
- Legislating fun
- Never taking a chance
- Silos
- Breaking down silos with top-down initiatives
- Top-down initiatives without bottom-up influence
- Disallowing bottom-up influence
- Free-loading relatives
- Accountability without authority
- Empowerment without support
- Delegation without clarity
- Not having that all-important conversation
- Ignoring early warning signs
- Continuing to execute an irrelevant plan
- Thinking you’re indispensable
- Sticking with status quo
Yet we do these, sometimes over and over again, thinking the results will be different the next time. Experience is a great teacher. Maybe we just have to pay more attention while we’re in the classroom.