F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” In contrast to Fitzgerald, the polemical nature of today’s domestic and international political and social diatribe offers a cautionary tale for those of us who are leading the cultivation of intelligence in the corporate arena. It is painful to watch people suffer while their leaders defend self-interested, partisan positions. These leaders seem to have the inability or unwillingness to see beyond their position to a greater good.
More than a decade ago, Jerry Porras and Jim Collins cited research from which they concluded that leaders who last and make a lasting difference have the exceptional ability to deal with paradoxes and seeming contradictions rather than yielding to the “tyranny of the ‘or.’” This is the tyranny that pushes people to believe that things must be either A or B, but not both. They were speaking of conflict between notions such as the following:
You can have change or stability, but not both.
You can be conservative or bold.
You can have low cost or high quality.
You can have creative autonomy or consistency.
You can invest for the future or do well in the short term.
You can make progress by methodical planning or by opportunistic groping.
You can be idealistic (values-driven) or pragmatic (profit-driven).
Read the entire article: http://www.clomedia.com/columnists/2010/January/2841/index.php
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