The Power of AND

"Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self needs strength." - Lao Tzu

If your mind - and more specifically how you think - is a critical success factor in life, what frameworks do you use to master your mind?

I was fortunate to read Built to Last by Jim Collins early in my career. In what has now become an all-time classic business book, Collins introduced what I consider one of the most powerful concepts to liberate your mind. I find myself referencing this framework to this day and, more importantly, believe that its power lies in its application beyond the company setting that he writes about in the book.

In the book, Collins discusses rejecting the "Tyranny of the OR" and embracing the "Genius of the AND". I recently went back to reread the passage and found the words are so good that they are worthy of sharing in their entirety without paraphrasing or summarizing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From Jim Collins' Built To Last:

You’ll notice throughout the rest of this book that we use the yin/yang symbol from Chinese dualistic philosophy. We’ve consciously selected this symbol to represent a key aspect of highly visionary companies: They do not oppress themselves with what we call the “Tyranny of the OR”—the rational view that cannot easily accept paradox, that cannot live with two seemingly contradictory forces or ideas at the same time. The “Tyranny of the OR” pushes people to believe that things must be either A OR B, but not both.

Instead of being oppressed by the “Tyranny of the OR,” highly visionary companies liberate themselves with the “Genius of the AND”—the ability to embrace both extremes of a number of dimensions at the same time. Instead of choosing between A OR B, they figure out a way to have both A AND B.

We’re not talking about mere balance here. “Balance” implies going to the midpoint, fifty-fifty, half and half. A visionary company doesn’t seek balance between short-term and long-term, for example. It seeks to do very well in the short-term and very well in the long-term. A visionary company doesn’t simply balance between idealism and profitability; it seeks to be highly idealistic and highly profitable. A visionary company doesn’t simply balance between preserving a tightly held core ideology and stimulating vigorous change and movement; it does both to an extreme. In short, a highly visionary company doesn’t want to blend yin and yang into a gray, indistinguishable circle that is neither highly yin nor highly yang; it aims to be distinctly yin and distinctly yang—both at the same time, all the time.

Irrational? Perhaps. Rare? Yes. Difficult? Absolutely. But as F. Scott Fitzgerald pointed out, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” This is exactly what the visionary companies are able to do. 

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Powerful stuff.

I believe the default position for most people - either through nature or nurture - is one of an "OR" mindset. This might be because we were taught from an early age about the discipline of choice or the nobility of sacrifice for a greater good. Or, due to resource constraints, we sub-consciously learned to view the world from a position of scarcity vs. abundance. Or, because it is less effort and energy, we focused on choosing one vs. pursuing two. Or, in some circumstances, is is actually prudent to do so. As the saying goes, “If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.”

This approach pursued repeatedly over time, however, becomes a wagon wheel rut for your mind. "OR" moves from being practically applied to a default position to the point it becomes exclusionary. An "AND" framework will keep your mind propped open like a wedge to what is possible.

As Collins writes, we are continually presented in business with tyrannical "ORs" - growth or profitability; engineering velocity or quality; product capability or usability; team member technical acumen or cultural fit. We know these are false compromises but we are lured by them daily.

An "AND" framework combined with a healthy deployment of the "five why's" may turn an "OR" abyss between two seemingly mutually exclusive options into an "AND" bridge. Instead of asking why in the closed sense (e.g., "Why is this possible?" ), consider shifting your thinking to why not (e.g. "Why is this not possible?"). Minimally, you will be amazed at the creative juices this reframing alone generates and how quickly previously considered assumptive states crumble under the pressure of scrutiny.

Of course, this applies to life outside of business as well...if not more so. Rather than "why me?" how about "why not me?". What "OR" are you subconsciously telling yourself that is holding you back from the beneficence of the "AND"?

Master your mind. Approach the world with an "AND" mindset. Enjoy possibility. What do you have to lose?