According to an ancient Chinese parable, an elderly woman engages in the same daily routine: She carries two large pots on the ends of a pole across her neck to a nearby stream and fills them with water. And each day, during the long walk home, one of the pots spills half its water through a crack in its side. The pot without the crack is understandably proud of its accomplishments. The cracked pot, meanwhile, feels ashamed, and confesses its feelings to the old woman. To the pot's surprise, the woman points out the cheerful flowers growing on the side of the path that the pot floats above every day. The woman explains that she enjoys picking the flowers to decorate her home--and notes that there are no flowers growing on the other side of the path, where the intact pot travels. With its narrow focus on its flaw, the cracked pot missed the bigger picture: the fact that it was helping to bring beauty to the woman's world.
Our thinking is hindered by an overly narrow focus on the problem at hand. The result? We miss information that could help us make better decisions. -- Francesca Gino
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/francesca-gino/missing-the-obvious-in-ou_b_4485800.html?ir=TED+Weekends&ref=topbar
No comments:
Post a Comment