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1% Wednesday 2/13/19

1% Wednesday 2/13/19

1% Wednesday

February 13, 2019

A short note to help you get 1% better today.

This Week's Video

The Problem with Attention to Detail https://youtu.be/DKKL21tqDe0

This Week's Podcast

Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note.Okay, that was Bobby McFerrin in "Don't Worry be Happy," not me. But I did write every word of Episode 77. It was inspired by one word in The Coddling of the American Mind, a book I am reading in preparation for an upcoming interview with Jonathan Haidt. Here is the transcript for Episode 77. Audio available on the podcast. I hope you enjoy it. ***Conventional wisdom says that a horsefly’s lifespan is 24 hours. Turns out this is wrong. Luckily one key ingredient on the search for effectiveness is being prepared to be wrong. Today’s show is about just that. That, And the horsefly’s other name, the gadfly. All that, next. Hello and Welcome to 1% Better! I’m Joe Ferraro. Yell BINGO if you knew I would be talking about flies today. This podcast is about helping you get better in the worlds of mindset, language, and behavior, and the story of the gadfly checks all three of those boxes. As always thanks for investing your time and energy with me, and for interacting on social media at Ferraro On Air—that’s twitter and Instagram, different fun happening in both places, ALSO 1% Wednesday every week, a brand new video and some personalized podcast notes every Wednesday. This week, I shared a first ever video from inside Alumni Classroom III. Me, speaking directly to 80 former students about "The Unsexiness of Consistency" It’s not too late to get a look at that and all the back issues, just head on over to onepercentbetterproject.com So…the gadfly. One of the real thrills of my project is that when I learn something new, I can share it with all of you. And maybe, just maybe my spin on it will help you learn something that will help make you 1% better. This week I was reading, The Coddling of the American Mind, a book co-written by upcoming guest Jonathan Height, and I came across a new word. You guessed it, Gadlfy. Maybe you know it, maybe you’re judging me, but it was a brand new word to me. The way it was used I was sure it meant more than a flying insect, but let’s start there. a fly that bites livestock, especially a horsefly. Super easy to picture the entire scene. The second definition is more gray. an annoying person, especially one who provokes others into action by criticism. That didn’t quite match the context in the book, so I dove deeper and found that: A gadfly is a person who interferes with the status quo of a society or community by posing novel, potently upsetting questions, usually directed at authorities. The term is originally associated with the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, in his defense when on trial for his life. Paydirt. In modern society, a gadfly is someone who persistently challenges people in positions of power, the status quo or a popular position.[3] For example "There is a function for the gadfly who poses questions that many specialists would like to overlook. The word may be uttered in a negative sense or be accepted as a description of honorable work or civic dutyThe truth is, a gadfly can be annoying. It’s 4:45 and the meeting seems like it is winding down. Here comes the hand of the gadfly. Class is about to end, and one gadlfly in the back row has a clarifying question. Maybe these gadflies need to work on their timing. But they don’t have to worry about courage. If the questions are generous. If the ideas provoke, you can be sure of two things, eye rolls from the group, and subtle glances at the clock. They are all but yelling Shoo, but a silent sigh will have to do. It takes courage to be a gadfly. And the real courage kicks in after the gadfly in your organization gets swatted at the first time. The gadfly isn’t liked, at least not well-liked as Arthur Miller once wrote. But that’s not the point. The point is to help make things better. The point is to ask better questions. The point is to choose effectiveness over popularity. And that can be annoying to many. If you are anything like me, deep down you are part gadfly. And part scared. You want to speak up, but you’ve seen what can happen when you do. You have a question that will challenge the status quo with nothing but the best intentions, but you also know if will be much easier if you stay quiet. There’s no doubt finesse and timing can play helpful supporting roles here, but the mission of the professional gadfly is ongoing. What to do? If you listen to a show called 1% better, you probably have some gadfly dna. Ideally, you’ll embrace your inner gadfly starting today. You’ll remember that timing matters. That grace matters. That language matters. But you’ll start today. Here’s a gadfly starter kit of questions worth asking: How will we know it’s working? What is the opposing side’s most compelling argument? What is the risk of doing nothing on this? How many stakeholders have identified this as a problem worth solving? Have any similar organizations tried to tackle this problem? Why this, why now? If we could wave a magic wand and solve this problem, what would the return on our time and energy investment be for our students/employees/or stockholders?And finally How can I help?Are these annoying? Are these provocative? Maybe, especially if the clock inches towards quitting time. But the alternative is the status quo. MUCH easier to maintain. Much less risky. And much more dangerous. This week, be a gadfly and report back. Find one opportunity to make things 1% better simply by asking a better question. Start small in a small group perhaps. But start. The start is what stops most people, and that presumably includes the gadfly. If all else fails, and you aren’t ready to be a gadfly, at the very least get 1% better at not swatting the gadfly into submission. Thank you for listening to 1% better. You could be anywhere in the world and you chose to be here. See you next week.