5 Steps to Avoid the Fate of the Frog

I recently was reminded of the story of the three frogs and thought it was worth sharing again in the context of personal and business growth.

Frog #1 is placed into a container of water at room temperature. The frog swims.

Frog #2 is placed into a container of extremely hot water. Sensing an inhospitable environment, it immediately jumps out before it is scalded.

Frog #3 is placed in a container of water at room temperature but on a stove with the burner turned to simmer. Frog #3 enjoys swimming around in the water. As the water slowly heats up, its senses dull, and its ability to react declines. When it finally realizes that its environment has changed for the worse, it lacks the physical resources to escape. 

In essence, the story is about staying in tune with our environment.

Avoiding the Fate of Frog #3

Keeping in tune with the customer and marketplace is an ongoing effort. In our heavily data-driven world, there are lots of metrics you can track and follow and streams of information you can read and dissect to determine customer’s response and engagement with your product. 

In addition to the streams of data at your disposal, there is another valuable resource you can tap that can differentiate you from the rest, your people. 

When the people who work for you are genuinely interested in your business and the product you are providing, there is a sense of shared responsibility for outcomes. So how do you find these ideal employees? 

Rather than find them, you can attract them to your company by providing a clear sense of purpose and operating principles that inspire and engage them in the company mission. Consider creating a work environment that taps employee’s playful and creative nature in connecting to the needs and wants of the customer by:

1. Promoting Curiosity

Questions keep a business alive. Become a learning-based company that embraces a spirit of inquiry, where everyone has the confidence to contribute as well as challenge, and no one person is the sole possessor of vital information.

2. Encouraging Your Team to Become the Customer

Examine your product and service like a customer and detail the changes that would make it better.  Keep looking forward and be the company that sets the standard for your offering.

3. Reading and Learning from the Signals of the Marketplace

Don’t get too comfortable with the status quo. As today’s truths are not the same as tomorrows, encourage regular collaboration and sharing of information between groups, teams, and departments to obtain a more holistic view of your customer and market.

4. Viewing Mistakes as Opportunities

Mistakes are often a result of not predicting what was going to happen. Look at mistakes and the uncertainty and instability that accompany them as an opportunity to make your company better. 

5. Making Problems Exciting Challenges

Rather than viewing problems as an inconvenience, present them as exciting challenges that attract the brightest minds. Turn problems into interesting and exciting puzzles that energize people to solve them.

When you have a collaborative environment where everyone sees it as their role to create a more exceptional experience for the customer, you minimize the risk of “leadership vacuums” where a problem exists, needs to be solved, yet there’s no obvious person whose responsibility it is to solve the problem and the problem continues.

Avoid the fate of the frog by encouraging your people to read the signals of the marketplace and customer, to learn from mistakes, and to advocate for improvements - even when change may be uncomfortable.

Work Smarter Not Harder 

(artist unknown)

Strong Social Connections and Success

Shawn Achor, author of “Big Potential” and leading expert on the connection between happiness and success describes happiness as a “social creature”. His research brings to light that strong social connections lead to happiness which promotes a rise in creativity, productive energy, and success.  

If you are a CEO interested in connecting with other bright executives growing great companies, consider joining an ArtScience Group CEO Forum and make the most of 2018. To learn more, we invite you to contact us.