Fatal Illusions By James Lucas Summary Slides Fatal

Fatal Illusions By James Lucas Summary Slides

Fatal Illusions Il-lu-sion. i-'lü-zh&n. noun. …. false interpretation by the mind…. . a belief or hope that has no real substance In an open society & economy, the following factors contribute to the creation of illusions : • Credentials • Mass media • Hype • Polling • Gullibility • Celebrity-itis • Prejudice • Familiarity • Growth rate & size • Myths In addition, there are three other important things to remember when dispelling illusions : 1) Do not hold onto ideas that conflict with reality just because they are comfortable. 2) Perception is not reality. 3) Illusion are more than blind spots – they are willful constructions. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions : Why Illusions Work There are twelve reasons why illusions work : 1) It’s less frightening to go on the way we are than it is to change. 2) It’s very easy to base our lives on traditions & secondhand opinions. 3) Unraveling illusions can be a long & messy process. 4) Core change is extremely difficult. 5) It’s difficult to diagnose & investigate illusions. 6) For their own gain or safety, people are willing to tell us what we want to hear. 7) Trust is often ugly. 8) Gossip & slander about others are “juicy morsels”. 9) Facing reality can be very painful. 10) Illusions are usually positive 11) The world is full of “bad guys” who are experts at looking like “good guys”. 12) Powerful opponents can spend much effort weaving complex cobwebs. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997. that

Fatal Illusions : Why We “Buy In” to Illusions People embrace illusions because they allow them to : 1) Avoid facing problems 2) Avoid the pain that is associated with problems 3) Avoid the pain & hard work of making changes 4) Avoid responsibility 5) Avoid the feeling of powerlessness 6) Avoid conflict & retain a sense of cooperation 7) Avoid coming to terms that individuals & organizations are all dysfunctional to some degree. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions : Degrees of Illusions 1) Harmless illusions – One that affects only a small area of our life or organization. 2) Hurtful illusions – One that prevents full effectiveness in achieving goals but still may allow some measure of success 3) Fatal illusion – One that leads to short- or long-term disaster. Can originate from a number of areas including self centeredness, pride, self-contempt, other-centered contempt etc. ; however, all fatal illusions share the following characteristics : • Their influence is pervasive throughout the department, division, or organization • No one talks about, or event hints at, their existence • Evidence exposing the illusion is systematically & relentlessly suppressed by force & by agreement • Often, only a major shock or strong outside influence can break the power of the illusions • Illusions are implicitly defended in meetings, reports, and decisions • Information that supports the illusions is enthusiastically referred to & distributed • The illusion has one or more high-level & powerful proponents Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusion # 1 : “Having a Mission Statement Means We Know Who We Are” Reality : Most of the vision & mission statements currently in use aren’t in use at all. Causes of this illusion include : • Lack of buy-in into the vision due to inadequate time spent defining the vision • Vision is too generic because of fear that detailing it will lead to rigidity • Vision is too “pie-in-the-sky” • Lack of input from line staff & lower management during vision creation • Vision aims for what the organization ought to be, instead of what it wants or can be • Vision based on outside or borrowed values, instead of internal ones • Vision does not set a unique path for the organization that inspires people • Vision is confused with tactics Remember, a vision must have a sense of worthiness, an ability to inspire, an invitation to share, clear & understandable detail, and it must be achievable. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusion # 2 : “Of Course Our People Understand What’s Important” Reality : People are often confused with what is important & what is not. Causes of this illusion include : • Not setting individual priorities & putting structures in place to support them • Becoming overcome by daily details • Resting on one’s laurels because innovation is difficult & taxing • Failing to balance planning & intuition on a case-by-case basis • Accepting what the majority thinks because it is too hard or scary to go against the grain • Becoming enamored by quantity of information without being able to interpret it • Waiting for a solution to appear because doing the small but critical things that lead to success it too hard Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 3 : “Everybody Knows What Quality Is” Reality : People & organizations often are lacking in providing quality. Causes of this illusion include : • Drawing major conclusions from small samples & superficial impressions because of laziness. • Thinking minor changes is sufficient since creating new services is too difficult & time-consuming. • Thinking that more information (when there’s already too much) or less information (when there is a a lot of data but not the right one) is the solution. • Thinking that hiding mistakes or deflecting blame will protect an individual or organization. • Projecting a better image than what really exists. • Thinking that success & failure are complete opposites, instead of two points on a continuum. • Overemphasizing the value of numbers & statistics and under-valuing unquantifiable information. • Spending too much time on things that are controllable such as daily activities (input) and ignoring long-term results (output). • Over-focusing on negative measurements & penalties instead of growth & achievement Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 4 : “We Don’t Know What to Expect of Those People” Reality : People can achieve much more if the expectations are clear & realistic. Causes of this illusion include : • Believing that the only way to get things done it to squeeze more out of everyone. • Justifying unrealistic demands as “just trying to get the job done” or “just following orders”. • Adopting a performance-based, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately mentality towards others. • Thinking of people as “human resources” that can be “upgraded” instead of living beings with minds, desires, and resistance points of their own • Adopting a pessimistic or cynical attitude about people in general • Not willing to believe that management or the system is the problem & avoiding to lead • Imagining an individual’s capacity without learning who they are or what they can achieve • Having hidden agendas that lead to constant rework & mixed signals that confuse individuals • Not reading enough, studying enough, or talking enough with high-expectation managers that lead to incorrect assumptions of what should be expected of an individual • Not spending enough time, energy, or resources to train people to exceed past performance levels • Being uncomfortable exceeding the low expectations of subordinates Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 5 : “We’ll Get to That Later” Reality : An individual or organization cannot be complacent. Necessary changes need to be made as soon as possible. Causes of this illusion include : • Substituting learning about change for actually absorbing or implementing it. • Avoiding the feelings that change engenders & not acknowledging that it is a problem. • Feeling that the rate of change is more than we can do, want to do, or can even adjust to. • Holding onto things long after they are useful because they are comfortable & familiar. • Thinking that by being risk-adverse & avoiding/minimizing change is career-enhancing. • Believing that something can’t be changed or improved because it has existed for a long time. • Plowing ahead with a wrong course of action because of personal investment into the course. • Giving in to the majority’s resistance to change because it is easier. • Letting past negative change experiences influence current change decisions. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 6 : “I Think We Can Get Away With That” Reality : All actions have consequences, especially unintended consequences. Causes of this illusion include : • Plowing ahead because asking about & anticipating questions is too much work. • Making the easiest decision rather than searching for & implementing the best decision. • Choosing an action because it seems right or satisfying. • Believing that problems will go away or take care of themselves. • Believing that rules apply to everyone but us. • Creating a world of conspiracy & unreliability that blames others for consequences • Accepting less than full responsibility for a decision. • Not taking an action because we are fearful of everything • Not conceptualizing positive outcomes because of negative training Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 7 : “We’re Doing Better Than _____” Reality : Comparisons are of little value if its focus is on the past instead of the future. Causes of this illusion include : • Lacking a vision that leads to the borrowing of one from others. • Believing that comparing is the “normal” thing to do. • Constantly checking to make sure we’re keeping up out of fear of being left behind. • Not leading & setting own standards because it’s easier to compare & copy. • Becoming immersed in the past because it is easier to analyze. • Thinking that the top-performers have thought of everything already & and doing it as well as possible (hero-worship). Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 8 : “Good People Can Be Successful in Jobs They Don’t Like” Reality : No one can be successful unless they are reasonably well matched with what they are expected to do. Causes of this illusion include : • Making quick & easy matches because making good ones is time-consuming & often frustrating. • Buying the illusion that the interviewee or employee is selling because it is easier. • Focusing on what people know instead of how people think. • Believing that the world & people operate in a rational manner when most decisions are based on non-rational (spiritual or emotional) or irrational ideas. • Still believing at some level that people must be watched & controlled. • Not acknowledging a poor match because it’s easier to believe that people are rotten or worthless. • Making people decisions based on gut feelings instead of personal interactions. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 9 : “We Can Run This Thing Without Sharing That Information” Reality : Withholding information hurts performance, morale, communication, and trust. Causes of this illusion include : • Withholding of information gives individuals a sense of power. • Using gossip or slander as a source of influence. • Letting past negative experiences with sharing information influence current decisions. • Blaming the misuse of information on people’s inability to deal with the truth • Sharing only the good news to appear optimistic or avoid negative responses. • Avoiding or repackaging bad news to “protect” morale. • Believing that not sharing bad news doesn’t scare employees and that it doesn’t convey a message that “only good news is wanted”. • Developing an appetite for only goods news. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 10 : “In This Economy, They Should Be Happy to Have a Job” Reality : Employees owe their employer labor & creativity and employers owe employees remuneration & growth. Correlated to this is that managers cannot motivate employees. Causes of this illusion include : • Believing that it is the managers responsibility to motivate employees. • Coaxing employees like little children instead of mature adults. • Believing that high-performance is driven by direct management instead of indirect. • Believing that the only way to motivate recalcitrant employees is to “light a fire” under them. • Forgetting that “worked” and “inspired” are two very different things. • Ignoring “knocking on individual doors” because it is too time & energy consuming • Giving in to the pressure by employees to take care of them, to meet their needs, and fix their problems • Being lured into role of “motivational messiah” because we are uncertain of who we are or what we’re capable of doing • Believing that job security still exists because it is comforting Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 11 : “Just Give People a Chance and They’ll Work Together” Reality : Getting people to cooperate is difficult, and appearances of cooperation often mask dissent. In addition, not all cooperation is good. Dissent should dominate during the “forming” & “brainstorming” of a project. Causes of the illusion include : • Believing that the only trustworthy things are ourselves & our world. • Resisting the concept that we need people to help us achieve our goals. • Feeling that cooperation is unfit for a vigorous person or organization. • Avoiding conflict by agreeing so as not to disagree. • Believing that people will automatically turn into teams because they are unselfish & altruistic. • Not valuing dissenting views & not trust others. • Believing reports of collaboration without following-up because it’s hard work to build a true cooperation. • Constantly trying to figure out how to make more profit at a customer’s expense. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions # 12 : “We Don’t Need Passion If We Have a Good Plan” Reality : All people have passion, whether it be positive or negative. However, tapping into either one can be a real challenge for managers. Causes of this illusion include : • Not acknowledging the existence of passion because it is uncontrollable & scary. • Avoiding or suppressing passion because it is viewed as a sign of weakness. • Keeping passions bottled up inside because of previous negative experiences • Not understanding other people’s passions • Avoiding uncovering negative passions because it’s time-consuming or painful • Relying on what is documented because passion cannot be systematized • Assuming that people don’t have passion Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.

Fatal Illusions : Building a New Reality Step 1 : Committing to Truth 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Stop & analyze any time someone gets angry or resentful over a new idea, question, or thought. Exercise special care when dealing with major concepts & thoughts that don’t fit long-established plans, directions, or goals. Practice always pursing the lone fact, the single piece of data that doesn’t quite fit. Step 2 : Facing Reality & Exposing Illusions 1) Review the list of illusions 2) Use the power of anonymity to get at the bad news, the limiting myths & fatal illusions. 3) 1) Review the suggestions for shredding each illusion & evaluate how to implement these within your organization. 2) Have an adviser inside the organization who can learn what’s true independently & who is committed to 3) telling the truth. Recognize that illusions will almost always be comfortable. 4) Have an outside adviser evaluate the organization. 5) Form “anti-illusion” teams. 6) Be wary of people who have no questions or doubts about what you or they are doing. Within each team, give one person responsibility for exposing illusions. 7) Give up on credentials. 8) Use humor to expose illusions. Always have questions when only one side of an argument is presented. 9) Continually ask how current success could lead to failure in the future. Get nervous when there isn’t even a minor dissenting voice to a decision or direction. Step 3 : Building a Future Reality Insist that everyone be accountable for their own areas of responsibility, including mistakes. 4) Ensure that victimization & blaming others have no place within the organization. 5) Resist the pressure to shade the truth to ease the pain of reality & changes. 6) Value truth as the starting point of everything. Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997. th

Fatal Illusions : Soul Sweat – Wining by Facing the Truth Step 1 : Soul-Sweat Questions Step 2 : Soul-Sweat Pathways Is this what I really thought I would be doing five years ago? 1) Is this really what I want to be doing today? 2) Toss things overboard. 3) Talk less, listen more. 3) Who am I, really? 4) Read more & differently 4) What are the values that I hold dear? 5) 5) What unmet needs are causing me to do the illusory things I’m doing? Find a friend who will make you sweat. 6) Give up taking credit. 1) 2) 6) What have I contributed to my own problems & dissatisfaction? 7) Do I have the right combination of interests, skills and backgrounds to be able to do what I need to do well? 8) What am I doing that makes me feel awful? 9) How do I respond to pressure? 10) Is our organization a representation of what I believe, value, and care about? Nurture, but question and hone, emotions. Step 3 : Process of Soul Sweating 1) Retreat. 2) Meditate 3) List. 4) Review. 5) Prioritize. 6) Study. 7) Write. 8) Share Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997. that

Fatal Illusions : Dealing with The Illusions in Others Step 3 : Encourage Proactivity Step 1 : Recognize you’re not in control Step 2 : Make sure you’re not co-illuding. Step 3 : Pick Your Spots Step 2 : Develop a Battle Plan 1) Does this illusion really warrant intervention? 1) Approach the person oneon-one. 2) What’s the worst thing that can happen if I don’t intervene? 2) If that meeting fails, take along one or two others to meet with the person. 3) Is this person really ready to hear what I have to say? 3) 4) Would this be better handled by someone else? 5) What’s the best way to present this? 6) Am I sure I’m not doing the same thing? If the first two steps aren’t successful and the illusion really is fatal, major intervention steps may be necessary (i. e removal of person from decisionmaking roles, termination etc. ) 7) Am I really ready to fight this war? 1) Read the book as a team. 2) Have a “truth partner” both inside & outside the org. 3) Periodically assign people doable work outside their range of duties. 4) Assign people demanding work to force them to approach an assignment without their illusions. 5) Develop “how to recognize illusion” training 6) Rotate people as the org’s “antiillusion” monitor 7) Assign readings that will broaden perspectives 8) Take time to share with others what you’re dealing with & why you are making certain decisions Source : James R. Lucas. Fatal Illusions : Shredding a Dozen Unrealities that Can Keep your Organization from Success. New York : AMACOM. 1997.