Monkeys, a Ladder, and One Banana

“And why do you do it that way?"

Silence.

Eventually, the Executive Director spoke up. "Well, that's just the way we do it. We've always done it that way. That's what works for us." I watched as others in the room smiled and slowly nodded their heads.

I paused and replied, "But is this actually working for you?"

I've had this same conversation with countless clients. Sometimes it's a corporate leader, a non-profit executive director, a college coach, an entrepreneur, or an educator. The reality is, we all get sucked into a world of unquestionable patterns and comfortable routines.

In this example, it was a non-profit organization. Their fundraising numbers were dropping, they were struggling to retain volunteers, their board of directors had questions, and they were failing to meet the demands of those they were serving.

Instead of making changes, they doubled down on some outdated practices. As we pulled back the layers, we discovered that no one on their staff worked for them when these practices were put into place. Over the years, the staff unknowingly taught every new employee, "This is how we do things here."

I once heard a story about a research project that hammers home this point. While the proper citation and some facts about the research are unclear, the story's message is powerful.

It goes like this: Five monkeys were placed in a room with a ladder. At the top of the ladder was one banana. Every time a monkey began to climb the ladder to get the banana, the researcher sprayed it with cold water. Slowly, the monkeys were taught that it was bad to climb the ladder. It didn't take long before the monkeys would stop each other from trying to get the banana. When one monkey would start to climb the ladder, the others would pull it down.

Over time, a researcher removed and replaced one wet monkey with a new dry one. The remaining wet monkeys quickly taught the new monkey not to climb the ladder. Eventually, every single monkey was replaced. They now had a group of monkeys who had never even tried to climb the ladder and never got sprayed with water, but somehow, they knew it was wrong, and they discouraged each other from trying.

As humans, we do this all the time! In some environments, this looks like a culture of silence where asking questions is unacceptable. It could also be a culture of shame where it's not okay to admit that you don't know something. For others, the group has committed to senseless, outdated systems and processes.

To move in a healthier direction, we need a few specific things:

First, we need to create a process for collecting the insights and observations of new team members. An unhealthy culture does not allow space for the perspectives of new members. Instead, leaders wait until new people have had the time to acclimate to the culture. In other words, once you "become one of us," we will value your voice. This is a missed opportunity. New team members have fresh eyes and the ability to articulate what feels off to them. Listening to the observations of new people early and often helps to identify outdated processes that the rest of the group has come to accept.

Second, organizations need visionaries at every level who have a healthy relationship with possibility. This can't only come from the person "at the top." Transformation requires leaders at every level of an organization's flowchart to bring new ideas to the group.

And lastly, healthy cultures need leaders who are willing to end practices that no longer serve the group. While it may feel risky, you must end one thing before you can begin another thing. Healthy leaders understand this is a part of growth. Leaders must be skilled in the art of ending old and outdated processes.

When we fail to listen to new voices, don't embrace new ideas, and refuse to end old practices, we repeat the behaviors that limit us. We become like a group of caged animals, fearful and teaching others to embrace our fear.

The world is full of endless possibilities, but your old practices won't lead to new outcomes.

While one leader is doubling down on their outdated way of doing things, another leader is trying something new.

One will go hungry, while the other is eating a banana …

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