If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten ...

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"

Storyline: From the article Challenging the Rules from the book A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech.*

When faced with a seemingly intractable problem, a very effective creative thinking strategy is to play the revolutionary, and challenge the rules.

In the winter of 333 B.C., the Macedonian general Alexander and his army arrived in the Asian city of Gordium to take up winter quarters. While there, Alexander heard about the legend surrounding the town’s famous knot, the “Gordian Knot.” A prophecy states that whoever is able to untie this strangely complicated knot will become the king of Asia.

The story intrigued Alexander, and he asked to be taken to the knot so that he could attempt to untie it. He studied it for a bit, but after some fruitless attempts to find the rope ends, he was stymied. “How can I unfasten this knot?” he asked himself. Then he got an idea: “I will make up my own knot-untying rules.” He pulled out his sword and sliced the knot in half. Asia was fated to him.

Reflection: If constructive patterns were all that were necessary for creative new ideas, we’d all be creative geniuses. Creative thinking is not only constructive, it’s also destructive. Creative thinking involves  breaking out of one pattern in order to create a new one. 

All too often, we become ensnared by the familiar phenomenon:

1. We make rules based on the reasons that they make a lot of sense.
2. We follow these rules.
3. Time passes and things change.
4. The original reasons for the rules may no longer exist, but because the rules are still in place, we continue to follow them.

So what knots can you untie today?

*Published with Permission From Roger von Oech (2007)

Comments

[Samuel Patrick]

Interesting part of this story is that there were many people before Alexander who had tried fruitlessly to untie the knot in traditional way by trying to find it's end. Alexander was called Aleaxander the Great because he thought diffrently and had courage to act that way.

[Kuldip]

Yes, this is the type of decisive and risk taking leadership that many organizations need. What is the ultmiate objective vs getting bogged down in following traditions. In my company, we recently discovered that we were following a rule that was established by a former director in mid 80s. It was no longer benefical but no body had bothered to question and blindly following until our New Vive President cut the cord.

[Bhasker Patel]

This is excellent.

[CT]

Hi In this era, the statement could be "If you do what you have always done, you will get LESS THAN what you have always gotten." While we stand still, others could have overtaken us.

[Douglas Monen]

Does anyone have all the words to the poem listed? If you always do what you've always done then you'll always get what you always got, if you always get what you always got then you'll always be who you've always been. This is as far as I could get, I know theres more lines. can anyone help me?

[FridayReflections]

The quote "If you do what you've always done ... " is from Zig Ziglar. I think it's also in an Aerosmith song! Not sure about the original poem though. Thanks Douglas, I'll look it up.

[Ronan MacParland]

Here's a little compilation that I made to expand on that idea...

If you always believe what you’ve always believed
You will always think what you've always thought,

If you always think what you've always thought
You will always feel the way you’ve always felt

If you always feel the way you’ve always felt
You will always do what you've always done.

If you always do what you've always done,
You will always get what you've always got.

If you always get what you've always got.
Then you will always think what you have always thought.

And…

You will always be who you’ve always been

If you always are the way you are now
Then you will never be who you want to become
And you will never do what you want to see done

For without change there is no change

- Socrates, Danny Graham, Me

[Kevin]

Full poem:

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.

If you always get what you've always gotten, then you'll always be who you've always been.

If you always are who you've always been, then you'll always think what you've always thought.

If you always think what you've always thought, then you'll always feel what you've always felt.

If you always feel what you've always felt, then you always do what you've always done...

[And the cycle continues...]

[Humble Warrior]

what got you here.. won't get you there

[EastCoast]

This seems very timely and very applicable to the way CA has performed forest management. They lock up forests, prevent thinning of trees and the systematic reduction in fuel and have created a place designed to burn. In addition, the zoning laws appear lax as they allow high density housing in locations at risk and then sit back and blame the utility while proposing they (the utilities) should have buried all those transmission cables (exactly who is going to pay for that?). Of course, it is not just CA, states along the Eastern seaboard allow building (and rebuilding) of homes along the shoreline prone to hurricanes. All of this could be managed by simply refusing to insure these properties. And with regard to zoning, what about earthquakes? I have read there is $1 trillion of uninsured commercial real estate in CA, all betting nothing will ever happen.

[From Kailua Beach Friend]

This came to mind when I read your Friday Reflections.
Warm Aloha,

A group of scientists placed five monkeys in a cage. At the cage’s center was a tall ladder with a bunch of ripe bananas at its top. Every time a monkey started up the ladder, the scientists soaked the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, any time a monkey started up the ladder, the others would grab it and beat it up. Soon none of the monkeys dared to go up the ladder, regardless of the temptation. Next, the scientists removed one of the monkeys from the cage and substituted it with a new monkey. As soon as this new monkey spotted the bananas, he tried to climb the ladder. The other monkeys beat him up at once. After several beatings, the new member of the group learned not to climb the ladder – even though he never really knew why it was “forbidden.” A second new monkey was substituted for one of the original five, with the same result – and the first substitute monkey participated in the beatings. The process was repeated with a third new monkey, then a fourth, and finally a fifth, each time with the same result. In the end, the cage held a group of five monkeys who had never received a cold soaking – but who would beat up any monkey who attempted to climb the ladder.