Power of checklists, using burning platforms and ambitions to drive change and how discomfort makes you smarter faster

4 minute read

Friday Thoughts & Learnings

This week I've rediscovered the power of the humble checklist by reading a brilliant book by US surgeon Atul Gawande. I've watched a fabulous YouTube video by Dr Peter Fuda on why you need both a burning platform and burning ambition to create sustainable change. And I've been learning that a key to getting smarter faster, is to get more comfortable with discomfort. Enjoy

Power of checklists

The Checklist: How to get things right by Atul Gawande

Atul Gawande is a US surgeon and best-selling. In this book he showcases how in a world of increasing complexity, the humble checklist offers a solution to how we can cope with and provide solutions to challenging situations.

Originally developed by the US Air Force, checklists are widely relied on from medical operating theatres and landing an aeroplane to investment banking and building skyscrapers.

Used in the right context, they help simplify complexity and manage the risk of error in high consequence situations. They help us get important things right.

Using burning platforms and ambitions to drive change

Sustainable change needs both a burning platform and burning ambition.

I really enjoyed watching this short, clever video by Dr Peter Fuda on why sustainable change needs both a burning platform and burning ambition to succeed.

In effect, you need two forms of motivation that combine to deliver change.

Psychologists refer to them as 'away from' (burning platform) and 'moving towards' (burning ambition) motivation.

A burning platform provides fear and urgency which helps get you started. It provides the reason to take action but not the direction of where to go. As its fear based, it consumes a lot of energy and runs out after a while.

A burning ambition provides the destination to aim for and what it will mean for people and an organisation to get there. It provides a more sustainable source of motivational fuel reaching a destination.

Together, a burning platform and burning ambition provide a purpose for creating change and the motivational energy to start and sustain the journey to get there.

How discomfort makes you smarter faster

Accelerated learning means getting comfortable with discomfort.

To get smarter we need to learn. Accelerating the rate of learning is what I'm interested in being smarter about.

Adam Grant in his book Hidden Potential, The Science of Achieving Greater Things, shares research that shows when students feel a minimal amount of discomfort to learn, their rate of learning is slower than when they felt a higher level of discomfort.

The body and brain are forced to develop faster when under more pressure. Where we do things we don't want to or are scared of doing. It's exposure therapy where it reduces discomfort by amplifying it, allowing us to progress faster.

In his early career, the now famous US comedian Steve Martin started learning his craft very slowly. He did stand up routines on stage, asked for feedback from peers and studied other comedians performances. But he was not getting the laughs or recognition he wanted. Despite working hard. He had avoided writing his own jokes because that's what he was most uncomfortable doing.

As a last resort he started writing. To his surprise, his timing and delivery on stage started improving because he was not as rambling as he was before. He started getting more laughs to his punchlines because he had made the jokes tighter and more succinct.

What was uncomfortable for him led to him learning faster and succeeding.

If you enjoyed this article, share it with a friend or colleague.

For less than a minutes investment you could help change the course of someones life for the better.