Page 46 - Sorry, We're Not Hiring Any Visionaries Today
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SORRY, WE’RE NOT HIRING ANY VISIONARIES TODAY
list is critical. When surgeons started using checklists, complications and death rates dropped considerably — checklists literally saved thousands of lives.
MICHAEL: I get that. We can agree that when dealing with risks and uncer- tainty, you love to mitigate risk. It definitely hits to your core that you need to protect. You need to make sure that the path is guarded. That there’s a sense of stability, structure, and minimizing chaos, right?
ANDREW: Yes, there’s a saying I came up with and which I live by. It’s a nice alliteration: Actively Applied Action Annihilates Anxiety. It means that if you’re feeling anxious, just do something, anything. Every psychologist will tell you this. I’ve never been in a situation in my entire life where when I’ve been feel- ing anxious and then take action, I don’t feel better.
As Nike says, Just Do It. Do you know how unbelievably powerful these 3 little words are? When Nike came out with this slogan years ago, it changed people’s lives. Women left bad marriages. People quit their jobs to move on to what they really wanted to do. And of course, people started working out more. We should never underestimate the power of words — they have changed the world, one person at a time.
“Just do it” has also sunk a lot of organizations.
As an example, I’m often anxious about my consulting business. I had a video call with a business consultant. Just chatting with him made me feel better because he gave me ideas for free. Chatting with another client, I suggested what he could do to organize his information. Just talking to these people an- nihilated the anxiety.
There’s something about the brain that when you’re doing an action that’s mean- ingful and practical, the part of your brain that’s anxious just completely shuts off. Taking action is better than exercise, medication, drugs or therapy combined.
Now, I see that your Quick Start score says your best way of dealing with risk and uncertainty is to innovate. You create a sense of urgency, initiate change,
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