I noticed that there was already a thread in the tavern linking to this video but I thought I would also be appropiate looking at as a business subject.
Just the other day I was checking in to one of the environmental blogs I read and ran across an interesting post about “An insanely clever bike-advocacy ad from the U.K” : Do the test | Gristmill: The environmental news blog
I actually knew as soon as I saw just what the test was going to be all about in that I had seen it use before in a Discovery Channel television program that was about our brains and cognition but I still almost missed ‘it‘.
Beyond the message regarding bicycles I think the actual ‘test’ has so very interesting and poignant management implications and lessons in it.
In talk and discussions on management, notably Tom Peter’s 1986 article What Gets Measured Gets Done we often hear the expression:
“What Gets Measured Gets Done”
While that is so very true and a very valuable tool in and of itself it comes along with the caveat we see and learn about in the Cognition Test. While what’s measured sure enough does get done can we be too focused on our measurements that we miss other important data and information that is flying right in front of our noses?
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I suppose it's a good wake up call but it's not a true test because it asks for a particular observation to be carried out under circumstances which suggest that it's appropriate, even important, to ignore all other activities.
From my point of view, I was completely successful in counting the passes because I was able to ignore all the distractions present.
In the world of driving or riding, my awareness is appropriate to that enviroment.
While what's measured sure enough does get done can we be too focused on our measurements that we miss other important data and information that is flying right in front of our noses?
I'd say yes, in a general way. It's easy to get stuck in habitual behavior patterns, so much so that new opportunities are missed.
I recognize a variety of mistakes I made in my life, personal and professional, which happened because I wasn't able to stop, let go of a habitual value judgement, and take a fresh approach to something which came up unexpectedly.
What I couldn't figure out was how the bear could moonwalk in sneakers...
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.