Weekly Question & Framework: May 24, 2024

Hello and welcome to the Curiosity Chronicle Weekly Question and Framework. In three minutes or less, I'll give you one question and one framework to get you thinking going into the weekend. Without further ado, let's dive right into it. A question to unlock your true potential do you need to empty your cup before you can grow? There's an old Zen parable that I love. A professor came to visit an old Zen master to seek advice. I have come to ask you to teach me about Zen, the professor said. As the master began to teach, the professor repeatedly interrupted him to share his own opinions, knowledge and stories. The master suggested that the two should take a break to have tea. The master poured the professor a cup. Once it was filled, he kept pouring until the cup was overflowing, hot tea all over the table, onto the floor and onto the professor's robes. Stop. Cried the professor. Can't you see the cup is already full? Precisely, the Zen master replied. You are like this cup, so full of ideas that nothing more will fit in. Come back to me with an empty cup. The parable is a reminder that we cannot hope to embrace new information or insights if our cup is too full of preconceived notions, assumptions and beliefs. Is your cup too full to embrace new information that the world is giving you? Do you need to empty your cup before you can grow A framework to Embrace Bad News Persian Messenger Syndrome in the ancient Persian Empire, it was a fairly common practice to kill a messenger who brought bad news. Knowing this, messengers would go to extreme lengths to avoid delivering bad news, even running away into self imposed exile. This led to critical information asymmetries that contributed to the downfall of the Empire. Persian Messenger Syndrome is the name given to the tendency to punish the bearer of bad news. It appears in a variety of modern contexts. Most notably, it is an all too common phenomenon in corporate settings. I'm willing to bet you've seen this in action. How many of you have had a boss or manager who never wanted to hear the bad news or critical feedback? How often did that unwillingness to embrace all information lead to bad decisions and bad outcomes? Perhaps even more importantly, if you are a leader, you need to avoid falling victim to Persian Messenger Syndrome. As you become more senior and important, there will be fewer people who are willing to tell you the truth. It becomes easy to surround yourself with yes people who will just agree with your decisions and never push back for fear of retribution. You need to make sure you create an environment where people are encouraged to tell you the truth, to speak openly about their evidence. Backed concerns and to share their perspectives. This rule is as true for your personal life as it is for your business life. One person who is willing to tell you the truth is worth more than thousands of people who will smile, pat you on the back and tell you that you're great. Find your truth tellers in business and in life, and avoid seeing your empire crumble from within. Always tell us the bad news promptly. It is only the good news that can wait. Charlie Munger that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you learned something, and I hope you'll share it with others. As always, until next time, stay curious. Friends.