You’re driving down the road in a severe thunderstorm. It’s cold, dark and the next town is 30 minutes away. As you drive around the curve you come across three people standing in the rain with no umbrella. The first is an old woman, frail and on the verge of collapsing. The second is a friend who once saved your life. The final is your romantic interest you’ve been chasing for the past four years.
You have room for one person, who do you pickup?
Most people I have talked to say the old woman. In Smartcuts, Shane Snow teaches and gives examples on challenging assumptions and learning to attack problems from different angles. The old saying goes, when you assume you make an ass out of you and me. So what’s the answer?
You give the open seat to the grandma, but then proceed to give your keys to your friend so he can drive her home. You then stand in the rain with your romantic interest and wait for the bus.
Challenge assumptions, and challenge them ethically. Attack problems by questioning basic assumptions and new ideas emerge. There is a difference between taking shortcuts vs. what Snow calls smartcuts. Shortcuts are rapid short-term gains with no regard on how to obtain them. Smartcuts are sustainable and predictable successes achieved quickly through smart work, or shortcuts with ethics.
Consider the path various Presidents have taken before reaching office. Many people assume they work their way through the political ladder before putting their name in the presidential hat. Though some presidents take this path, many have jumped around from profession to profession before landing in the Oval Office. We’ve had former army generals, university presidents, and even actors. So what’s the one thing they all have in common? They all have the ability to lead successfully in different situations and positions.
Often times we plan to follow a linear progression up the ladder to the top. As the picture below shows, that is rarely the case and our path seldom follows the strategy we set for ourselves.
To start challenging every day assumptions, a place to begin is feedback and failure. Silicon Valley clings to the saying, “fail fast and fail often.” Doctors are under pressure every day to perform literally life or death procedures. Wrong moves or practices could cost someone their life, and could bring a lawsuit for malpractice. In observing doctors, Snow found a peculiar finding about failing and the lessons learned.
As one doctor came out of an unsuccessful surgery, he felt he couldn’t have done anything more in his power. The doctors who observed the surgery however saw things and made mental notes on various practices to avoid in their upcoming surgeries. On the other side, if a surgery was successful the doctors attributed it to their skills and abilities.
Snow found when people lose, they lose because of external reasons. When you win, you win because of internal reasons. Think back to the 2014 NFL divisional playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. With under 5 minutes to go and Dallas down by 5, Dallas decided to go for it on 4th-and-1. Expecting a run, the Packers defense loaded the box. As Tony Romo took the snap, all pro wide receiver Dez Bryant took off in a sprint down the left sideline. With one-on-one coverage and no safety to help corner back Sam Shields, Romo threw the ball 40 yards down field. Bryant soared in the air, making an incredible bobbling grab over Shields. On the way to the ground, Bryant reaches out to the end zone. As the ball touches the ground it moves slightly from his hand, forcing the refs to call it an incomplete pass. The Packers went on to win the game. After the game was over, social media was on fire debating whether it was a catch. Every Dallas Cowboys fan said they lost because of the refs. On the other side of the ball, Packers fans said they won because they were the better team and played better.
When doctors fail, the blame is on external reasons. When businesses fail, it's because the the market wasn't right, or we didn't have the right people on the bus. When businesses succeed, it's because of hard work and leadership. Personal failures are not the best teaching points in life, other peoples failures are. If you fail, look past the external reasons and truly examine the internal reasons. Those are true teaching points.
My rating – 4.5/5
Should you read – Simply put, yes. Snow tells stories that have a direct correlation to challenging the assumptions we face everyday to make better, wiser and more intuitive decisions. It’s a fairly quick read, and Snow writes as if he is talking to you in a casual conversation.