By now you have probably heard me go one and on ranting and raving about
those people who to use one of my least favorite phrases, "…. but, we
have always done it this way." Or they might have used the mirror image
phrase, "… but, we have never done it that way." I want you
to know that my position on this matter remains solid and intact.
I think that you will agree with me when I tell you that those phrases actually
hide the true reasons that people avoid change. That will be the topic of this
little visit with you. The why we don’t want to change syndrome.
Before getting started, I would like to share a little story with you that can
actually explain one of the reasons for the, "we’ve always / we’ve
never" combination of words. This is a truly insightful message, and I want
to thank Bruce Lukaszewicz for this true gem of managerial wisdom.
HOW TO KEEP THE MEMBERS OF YOUR FIRE COMPANY / DEPARTMENT IN LINE.
Start with a cage containing five apes.
In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long, an
ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he
touches the stairs, spray all of the apes with cold water.
After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result - all the apes
are sprayed with cold water. This continues through several more attempts.
Pretty soon, when another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes all try
to prevent it.
Now, turn off the cold water. Then remove one ape from the cage and replace it
with a new one. The new ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To
his horror, all of the other apes attack him After another attempt and attack,
he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a new one.
The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes
part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a third original ape with
a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of
the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb
the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape.
After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes, which have
been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no ape ever again
approaches the stairs. Why is this?
Because that's the way they've always done it, and that's the way it's
always been around here.
AND THAT'S HOW FIRE DEPARTMENT POLICY BEGINS....
Since one can never be sure of where something on the Internet originates, I
can only offer my heartiest congratulations to the genius who created this
delightful story. I will say that it had been me, but I am just a faithful
transmitter of data in this case.
What do you see in that story? Look closely. In the later generations, there is
a certain blind obedience to the status quo. Why do you think that this is so? I
have come to believe that this equates to a comfort zone issue. Most
people are comfortable with what they know and understand. Certain people are
fearful of the unknown.
There are many people in positions of power who have a minimal grasp of what it
takes to operate effectively within our profession. They are afraid of those
things they do not understand. Hence, they shy away from new people and new
ideas. They stick to those areas where they can maintain absolute control. And
in many cases, they use fear, abuse, and intimidation to keep people "…
in their place."
This may be because they are truly afraid of those people. More probably they
are afraid of looking ignorant to their co-workers and subordinates. It is this
desire not to appear stupid that makes them that much the more to be pitied.
This is because, it magnifies the impact of their ignorance.
Heck, I don’t personally know a great deal about knee surgery. However, that
didn’t stop me from having two different operations performed by someone who
did know. And, as it turned out, a number of my post-operative knee exercises
had the unexpected benefit of strengthening my lower back, which I had injured
in a building collapse in 1974. I now know a great deal more about how knees
work, and how to guard them against unnecessary wear and tear. And my back feels
much better. You just never know what sort of benefit you will gain by trying
something new.
When I referred to the issue of comfort zone issues a bit earlier, you may have
had to ask, comfortable for whom? Usually the only person who is comfortable is
the one who is making everyone else unhappy by their failure to listen and be
open minded. I say that those people who thrive on a fixed, never-changing
routine are some of the worst offenders of the "we’ve never / we’ve
always syndrome."
In many of these cases, I readily attribute the refusal to listen and change to
nothing more than shear laziness. These "comfortable" people managed
to learn just enough to get a particular job. They then come to feel that
minimal entry knowledge level is the sum total of all they will ever have to do.
God forbid that they might have to run a new thought through their brain. Since
these people are chronically lazy, they impose their view of life upon the rest
of us.
Sadly, we all know the impact of people like this. They create a stagnant,
negative environment, where butt smooching is more important that thinking and
creating. How can we deal with this?
There are a few ways, but remember that I am the guy who got tired of waiting
and moved along to a new venue. So there you have the first option – "get
out of Dodge." I took this step with my head held high. I fought the battle
are grew weary at the lack of progress.
A great many people are exercising this option. If you look in the classified of
the major fire service journals, you will see a number of open jobs each month.
People are moving on to new pastures. This has been the case with a number of my
friends and associates over the past few months.
Leaving is good, IF you can, but what if you have to stay? You must then
work to gain whatever successes you can, whenever and wherever possible. A great
deal of my unused, (unwanted), energies in the fire service were plowed back
into outside endeavors. Many of my greatest successes were found outside of the
fire department where I labored for more than 25 years. If the fire department
frustrates you, join something. The list of organizations looking for volunteers
is long, and the variety great. But be careful. The leadership and changes
problems listed above can be found anywhere.
It may well be that the greatest advice I can offer to you is patience. The next
greatest will be persistence. But in order to survive, you must learn to combine
patience and persistence with an important theory. You will win some of your
battles, and you will lose some of them. Also remember: they cannot read your
mind. If you are real mad or real happy, try not to let these emotions cloud
your judgment. Some of my worst mistakes came when I led with my heart and not
with my head. And some of my greatest success came when I followed the dreams in
my heart.
I try not point at the list of what if issues in my former career. That’s a
killer and can eat you alive. Dwell on your successes and the rest will fade
away.
It is my hope that I have been able to impart a bit of help and advice for
dealing with those recurring scenarios when someone refuses to listen to a
logical, factual, well-reasoned request for something new. Good luck, my
friends.
The commentary in this column does not necessarily reflect those of Firehouse.Com, Firehouse
Magazine, their employees or parent company Cygnus Business Media. Harry R. Carter, Ph.D., MIFireE, is an internationally known municipal
fire protection consultant and contributing editor to Firehouse Magazine. He recently retired as a Battalion Commander with the Newark, New Jersey Fire Department.
His commentary appears regularly on Firehouse.Com. For more commentary and information,
visit Carter's web site at www.harrycarter.com
Harry has published several books available for online ordering, including
Firefighting Strategy and Tactics
and Management in the Fire Service
