The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom

Author:Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom [Brafman, Ori]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi
ISBN: 9781591841432
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 2006-12-15T05:00:00+00:00

The Catalyst’s Tools

It was in thinking about David Martin that it dawned on us: all of the catalysts we spoke to draw upon similar tools. And while no one can wake up one day and decide to become Auren Hoffman, we can certainly incorporate the tools of his trade.

Genuine Interest in Others To a catalyst, people are like walking novels. Information that most of us barely listen to is pure gold to someone like Auren. To understand this, think of the most boring person you’ve ever met. At a party, for example, someone might drone on about their days at this company or the other, and most people would nod their heads, put on a fake smile, and think about what they ate for dinner three nights ago. In all likelihood, whether consciously or unconsciously, the speaker picks up on this lack of interest and either tries to find another topic or turns silent. This is the cause of awkwardness in casual social situations. We talk to people we don’t really know about stuff that we don’t really care about, and it creates a sense of unease.

But chances are, if you talked to Auren, you wouldn’t be able to have a boring conversation if you tried. That’s because Auren is genuinely interested in others. In fact, Auren believes that if you find someone boring it’s only because you, the listener, haven’t asked the right questions or found that person’s true passions.

We can tell when someone like Auren really cares about what we’re talking about; when that happens, we tend to open up and reveal more about ourselves. The conversation naturally becomes more interesting, and we feel he has really been able to “get” us. It’s at that point, when we feel understood, that we are most open to something new. We become willing to change.

This is the catalyst’s essential tool. If you met Auren at a party and he called you a week later to introduce you to one of his friends, you’d be more likely to take his call and follow through than you would be if the call came from someone with whom you’d had a boring, artificial conversation.

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