American Chopper - How Personalities Clash At Work
Today we take a look at the popular Discovery Channel series American Chopper, featuring the misadventures of the Teutul family (Senior, Junior and Mikey) and their company, custom bike manufacturer Orange County Choppers. The relationship between Junior and Senior illustrates two opposing Myers-Briggs type preferences extremely well.
By now, you probably know that every episode of American Chopper features a heated, no-holds-barred argument between Senior and Junior. The argument is about the same thing every week - whether it’s more important to make a good product, or stay on schedule. We witness a classic clash of personality types that might look like something you’ve experienced in the workplace yourself.
Sphere: Related ContentHow To Transform A Culture With Innovation
Have you ever witnessed an innovation that transforms everything in a culture?
It doesn’t happen often. Most of the time innovation improves rather than transforms. Well over 90 percent of the time, in fact.
There’s a good reason for that. Change is hard. In Myers-Briggs terms, most people in our culture (75 percent) prefer ’sensing,’ and one of the aspects of sensing is resistance to change. Incremental change, if useful, might be OK. Transformational change is painful.
Sphere: Related Content7 Things Innovators Do That You Don’t
What prevents you from being a great innovator? Not much. Innovators by and large aren’t creative geniuses gifted with da Vinci-like talent. It’s not what they ARE - it’s what they DO. They do these seven things you most likely do not.
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Software, games and books - here’s seven ideal gifts for the innovator on your shopping lists.
Try Out IBM’s Innovation Assessment Tool
I found this cool innovation self-diagnostic at the IBM website that lets you assess your company’s innovation level against the results of their Global CEO Study 2006. It’s a nice strategic innovation tool that gives goals and objectives for instituting an effective innovation program in your company.
Sphere: Related ContentDo You Know If You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know?
Do you produce the best solutions possible?
How do you solve an easy problem? Probably, based on your experience, the solution comes quickly. You solve it easily because of what you know.
What happens, though, when you’re confronted with a problem outside of your experience? Chances are, you know SOME of the right stuff, but you don’t know enough to solve it. So you find out what you don’t know - you research things, or consult others.
But your solution is only as good as the knowledge you acquire. If the knowledge is adequate, so will be your solution. But if it isn’t, your solution may come up short.
You know what you know.
Sometimes, you know what you DON’T know.
But other times, you DON’T know what you don’t know. Hard to follow, eh? But essentially true.
Sphere: Related ContentOut With The Golden Rule, In With The Platinum Rule! (i.e., The Golden Rule Is Wrong, Part II)
Last week I explained why the Golden Rule is misguided, misplaced, and just plain wrong. Today I follow up by completing two examples on how to operate under the Platinum Rule: “Do Unto Others As They Would Like You To Do Unto Them.” I’m going to refer to the first article throughout this article so click on the link above for reference purposes.
Sphere: Related ContentThe Golden Rule Is WRONG!!
Yes, that’s right - “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You,” long regarded as the simplest model for showing respect for others, is totally, irrefutably wrong.
Sphere: Related Content7 Levels Of Change (Part 4 of 9) - Level 3: Improving
Table of contents for 7 Levels Of Change
- The 7 Levels Of Change - Introduction (Part 1 of 9)
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 2 of 9) - Level 1: Effectiveness
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 3 of 9) - Level 2: Efficiency
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 4 of 9) - Level 3: Improving
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 5 of 9) - Level 4: Cutting
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 6 of 9) - Level 5: Copying
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 7 of 9) - Level 6: Doing Things No One Else Is Doing
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 8 of 9) - Level 7: Doing Things That Can’t Be Done
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 9 of 9) - Bringing It All Together
The fourth in a nine-part series on Rolf Smith’s 7 Levels of Change, I introduce the third level of change - Improving (Doing Things Better).
Sphere: Related ContentAre You Tired Of Producing Ineffective Results?
Are you frustrated that your attempts at innovation don’t make a difference?
Do you apply creativity in areas that don’t yield results?
Then apply it in one of the areas that makes the most difference - your business model.
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