If you find your stuck in a jar, start thinking about being in a maze

Thanks for going through the first newsletter.

There are some concepts like flocks and way-of-the-flocks which you would probably see recurring in many of my forthcoming newsletters. You may also come different analogies and examples that emphasise on specific contexts and/or situations. An individual may become a part of a new flock as per requirements of the activities, events or on joining the organisation.

Moving Forward!

In this newsletter, I take mouse as reflecting members of flock and weave together two different stories. While each of these stories reflect a different way of thinking, they may occur simultaneously.

You need to change the way you think on your current reality before you can take action to change your reality

Let us start with the first way of the flocks as stuck in jar

There is this story of a mouse who after putting good amount of effort and time was able to enter a jar full of cheese. Cheese is a metaphor of about our attaining our expectations. The quantity of cheese if proportional to realisation of your needs/wants/expectattions. I am taking creative liberty to use cheese instead of grains for connecting two stories.

What we view as cheese changes changes with the change in our lens we use to vew it

Also, I would like to put two different mice in different jars to reflect their differences in their context and environment. So, we have mouse A and mouse B as having relatively better positions. The mice A1,A2,A3.. and mice B1,B2,B3,... occupy a lower hierarchy and in relatively lesser positions than mouse A and mouse B respectively. In fact each of these mice also had their own jars but with lower capacity. It is worth mentioning that similar effort and time spent may not necessarily lead to same levels.

Sometimes doing one right thing may lead you to some places faster than doing many things right

The mouse A was happy with its success of entering the cheeseful jar which was in a kind of monopoly situation. It did not need to go anywhere and could decide on what and how much to eat for self and others in its flock. It also had full freedom to decide on when and how much to share with other flocks. The mouse A worked in an environment wherein it was more or less guaranteed certain minimum amount of cheese in jar. The mouse could also seek more cheese as needed giving suitable justifications and with support of mice A1,A2,A3,...

This mouse A was special in the sense it also had the responsibility and power to decide or influence on who (among A1,A2,A3,...) gets how much and when. Flocks in ‘better positions’ jar influence or try to influence flocks in ‘lesser positions’ jar. One may find oneself in a ‘better position’ jar in one situation/context and in a  ‘lesser position’ jar in another situation/context. Members in 'better position' jar are generally seem to believe that they are doing a favour on the flocks in a 'lesser postion' jar by influencing them to their way of thinking.

The degree of influence over flocks is a function of both influencing capability and eagerness to influence

While the mouse A and mice A1,A2,A3,.. etc. were living in a time-based-membership jar, they started believing that this jar offers life-time-membership. One day, the mouse A finds that the all the cheese is finished and it is in an empty jar and sharing space with mouse A3. Both of them look at each other wondering what happened suddenly. They see through the glass and find that mouse C is now doing the work of mouse A and mice A1,A2, and others an supporting it.

This is unfair says mouse A. This is unfair says mouse A1.

They start having animated discussions among themselves. After some time, the mouse A finds that mouse A1 is not treating it in the same way it treated during the period they were part of cheese filled jar. Their relationship is now seen to becoming quite different with little regards to past relationships.

Success in any area is not guaranteed across all time periods

Failure in any area does not imply failures in other areas

Now we look at the second jar.

The mouse B and mice B1,B2,B3,... developed an innovated product for the market. Their sales were rising and so were their profits and benefits which they used to buy more cheese. Their jar grew in size and stature with new additions. The mouse B being the first resident had the most influence in the jar and was institutionally authorised to share rewards with other members of flock based upon their performance and outcomes. The mouse B rapidly expanded its jar by increasing hiring and spreading its team geographically. The jar became more reputed and benefited its members too. Standard processes and procedures were developed for consistent delivery of outcomes.

In the process of growing in hierarchy, the mice B3 and B5 start feeling that they were stuck in a jar. When they saw with the lens of monetary benefits, the jar looked full but through lens of satisfaction level it seemed almost empty.

They were feeling bored and frustrated by repeating the same things everyday with little scope of implementing new ideas. The business model was doing great and the ongoing efforts are more towards reducing wastes and eliminating ineficiencies. They were worried about they will remain in the jar forever.

Now we come to the second way of the flocks . This talks about thinking as path through 'maze of uncertainty' is elaborated in the following paragraphs and based upon a book.

Many of you must have read the book titled "Who moved my Cheese?" by Dr. Spencer Johnson. It is a story of four characters (two of one kind and two of another) who love cheese and have to go into a maze everyday to get it/them. Here cheese is taken as a metaphor for things we want and put efforts to pursue and realise them.

It also highlights that behaviour may change significantly when we no longer have THE cheese we had taken for granted for a long time earlier.

Through this book, the author without mentioning explicitedly talks about not forgetting the need of doing karma even in situations wherein you may feel you are settled.

When one says one is finally settled, one is making a BIG assumption regarding staying at the same state irrespective of how the future will unfold

B3 and B5 started to discuss among themselves. They realised that have got good learnings and insights on how things work. They also have built good relationship with suppliers and immediate users. Without spending much thinking of being trapped in a jar, they have to start changing their mindset.

B3 thought of started its own ecommerce company as it had almost all things in place based upon previous experience and the market still offered good scope for new players.

B5 thought of utilising its good bank balance for meeting its basic minimum needs and use the remaining for giving back to society.

Both B3 and B5 have now entered a maze by hitting their refresh button. While they would bring learnings from the past, they would not let themselves be influenced by past successes.

The meaning of success is different in different situational contexts

The mouse A1 had been observing the changes happening in the way B3 and B5 were managing themselves. It decided to join some course that could extend its learning and make it market-ready. A1 has also entered the maze now.

The mouse A is still stuck in the past. It may need to meet new mice who had gone through the same situation and adapt itself.

What should their new mindset be?

They decided to look at their situation as navigating a maze of uncertainty. By adopting this mindset they can free themselves from the mindset of stuck in a jar.

A leader facilitates his/her flock to transition from mice in a jar mindset to a person in a maze

The examples mentioned are a small subset of the diversity of situations we have all faced or going through different points of time.

While these writings are NOT the ONLY way of looking at things, they can aid in identification ,acknowledgement and relatability of perspectives.

You can relate more when you observe some similarities in your work and life environments.

A few years back, I met a well known academician who has beeing amazing work in teaching. In addition he is publishing it research in some of the worlds best known journals. I was expecting his background to be in science or engineering as the work requires like level of mathematical modeling but to my surprise I got to know that he had studied history. He had to change his place and go to a far off place to move from a jar to a maze.

Sometimes institutional frameworks and external environment also acts as a jar wherein one may get stuck and also limits the freedom to move in a maze.

Look forward to your views on the concept on stuck in a jar or moving through a maze.