I’ll take both
I sometimes feel caught between polarities. An example is the old conundrum: pick two, price, quality, or speed – you can’t have all three.
David Brooks writes in an op-ed piece today:
The enduring popularity of the Olympics teach the lesson that if you find yourself caught between two competing impulses, you don’t always need to choose between them. You can go for both simultaneously. A single institution can celebrate charitable compassion and military toughness. A three-week festival can be crassly commercial, but also strangely moving.
As organizations plan and innovate, it is tempting to choose one solution or another. The challenge is to ask, “Why not say ‘and'”? Brooks offers the example of Lafley at Proctor and Gamble who chose to “lower prices and reduce costs” and ‘”innovate.” He pushed the vision for the company in both directions.
What examples can you think of where the power of “and” has changed the direction of your life or organization?
Friesen Group 