A Peacock in the Land of Penguins by BJ Gallagher & Warren H. Schmidt

Author:BJ Gallagher & Warren H. Schmidt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2015-07-04T16:00:00+00:00

There’s a Little Bit of Penguin in All of Us

The penguin metaphor we use in our stories refers to anyone who is narrow-minded, tradition-bound, risk-averse, conservative, resistant to new ideas or different perspectives, and tied to the way he or she has always done things. Penguins may or may not be managers or executives. Penguins can be found at any level in an organization. Remember, being a “penguin” is a mind-set, an attitude, and a characteristic way of looking at the world.

If we look really carefully and honestly, we’ll probably find a little bit of penguin in ourselves, too – though we may not want to admit it. Even the staunchest peacock probably has a little penguin streak somewhere deep inside. Most of us have an aspect of our lives in which we too are narrow-minded, stuck in our ways, resistant to new approaches. We are creatures of habit, with familiar routines we don’t want to change.

• “I always take this route to work.”

• “This is where I always sit at staff meetings.”

• “The end of the toilet paper should always go over the roll, not under.”

• “The drinking glasses in the kitchen cabinet should go upside down, not right side up. Everyone knows that.”

Quack, quack, quack. Listen to ourselves resisting different ways of doing things. There really is a little penguin in all of us.

That’s not a bad thing; it’s a normal thing. What’s important here is to simply recognize these penguin tendencies when they show up, so that they don’t control you. You want to have a choice in the matter. You want to be able to let go of your penguin streak when it doesn’t serve you – when it keeps you from being flexible and adapting to change, or when it keeps you from taking appropriate risks and trying new things. (Consider asking someone you trust and respect to alert you whenever you start acting this way.)

What you most want to avoid is having your little penguin tendencies grow to take over your whole personality. If you become a total penguin, you become a problem – for yourself and for others.

How can you tell if you’re becoming a complete penguin? Listen to yourself speak; check out the list of “Recognizing the Quack” in the next section and see how often you say those things. Pay attention to how you respond to other people who have different opinions from yours:

• Do you bristle?

• Do you automatically resist suggestions that don’t fit with the way you like to do things?

• Do you resent changes that are out of your control?

• Do you keep doing things your way, even if someone shows you a better way?

If you found yourself answering “yes” to more than one of these questions, you might be more of a penguin than you realize. After all, if it squawks like a penguin, waddles like a penguin, acts like a penguin … it must be a penguin!

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