Casting the First Penguin

"Let him that is without stone among you cast the first thing he can lay his hands on." - Robert Frost (American poet)

The ancient practice of stoning is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones (or other projectiles) at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. The phrase “casting the first stone” is known in some form by everyone in the Western world. It is an important phrase not just for its negative meaning, but also because the dynamic of being the "first to cast" can be harnessed for good. This Thursday Thought explores the concept in the context of innovation and change initiatives in business and society as a whole.

By Johannes Janssonius Waasbergen (publisher) ( via Wikipedia)

The phrase comes from the story of Jesus, who wandered across the scene of a woman who was about to be stoned to death by an angry mob. Jesus turned to the mob and proclaimed what have become immortal words: ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone…’ The mob, understanding the rebuke, put down their projectiles and the woman was spared.

In his book "Wanting", our guest on the innovation show, Luke Burgis explores what it is about casting the first stone that is so meaningful. Why was throwing the first stone so hard? Because the first stone is the only stone without a mimetic model. The thrower of the first stone gives the others a dangerous precedent to follow. Once the first stone is thrown, the second stone becomes easier to throw. It is always easier to desire something—even, and maybe even especially, violence—when it has been desired by someone else first. The first stone thrower shows the way. The second reinforces the desire. Now the third person in the crowd is hit with the mimetic force of two mimetic models. They cast the third stone and become the third model. The fourth, fifth, and sixth stones are cast with relative ease compared to the first three. The seventh is effortless. Mimetic contagion has taken hold.

If mimetic contagion can take hold and lead to horrific acts of violence from the terrors of the Holocaust to joining in name-calling at school, then, it makes sense that mimetic contagion can be used for positive forces. In particular, mimetic desire can be used to influence culture change in legacy organisations.

The First Penguin

There is a wonderful phenomenon in communities of Penguins that encapsulates the spirit of being the first to attempt something daring in the face of potential failure. When penguins stand on the edge of a cliff or iceberg, they ponder the leap ahead.

Will the water contain a predator?

Will there be a concealed rock below the surface?

Will I survive the fall?

The “First Penguin” to jump into the icy depths is the same dynamic as he or she who casts the first stone. That brave creature starts the mimetic cycle, the second is brave as is the third and it becomes increasingly safe to make the leap. Some organisations award what is called is "The First Penguin Award" to those who embody the First Penguin Spirit. Such awards honour those people who actively pursue new mindsets, small experiments and minimal viable products in a bid to invent, reinvent or innovate. The key principle of such awards is that the attempt does not need to be a success. It is the attempt itself that leadership must honour and recognise. (In my book"Undisruptable", I call this Kintsugi Thinking, where we celebrate the cracks that occur in the bid to succeed with something new.)

"Casting the first penguin" is a term I use to empower those leaders who celebrate those brave "penguin colleagues" who make bold moves in the face of potential criticism from colleagues, in environments that lack psychological safety and who continue to pursue progress in the face of inevitable failure.

What if my colleagues mock me?

What if it doesn't work and I blemish my record?

What if I succeed and I threaten the status quo?

Casting the first penguin is a powerful mimetic model that can change cultures.

If you are wondering how it can be used for good in society itself, I leave you this week with a positive mimetic model, an excerpt from the movie "The Eagle". It will set you up for the day. Have a great week and if you like the concept you will love my workshops and the Innovation Show episode with Luke Burgis (details of both below).

Have a great week and thanks for reading.

The Permanent Reinvention workshop is a FUN, VISUAL and Engaging workshop that reignites creativity and wakes us up to opportunities and threats. Feedback has been fantastic. 

"This course is a masterclass in deep learning, which immerses participants in the art of unlocking creativity and innovation. And their applications in today's world. Aidan has housed these learnings in neuroscience and nature, which provided my team with much more meaningful interactions than any course I have attended before. The content captured the imaginations of my team and me in the first 5 minutes and left us wanting more when we finished. I cannot recommend this course enough for teams that need some propulsion and intellectual nourishment at home or work." - Aiden Connolly, Head of Innovation & Special Projects, Toyota/Lexus

The latest episode of The Innovation Show is about why people want what they want. 

It’s based on the notion that, in the end, we will either be masters or slaves of our desires and that we can choose the outcome. True freedom, our guest argues, is the freedom to want what is best for ourselves and for others—and that those need not be different things. The ability to desire in a healthy way is not something we’re born with, but a freedom we must earn. And due to one powerful and hidden feature of human desire, that freedom is hard won.

We welcome the author of “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life” Luke Burgis

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https://apple.co/2TCDRNH

#innovation #leadership #life